[Development of a 12-item version of the OPD-Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQS)]. / Entwicklung einer Zwölf-Item-Version des OPD-Strukturfragebogens (OPD-SFK).

OBJECTIVES: Screening for personality dysfunction is relevant to treatment planning in psychotherapy, psychosomatic medicine and psychiatry. This makes short versions of field-tested approaches such as the OPD Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQ) necessary. METHODS: With the aim of developing a screening version, the original sample of the OPD-SQ was divided into two subsamples. After developing a preliminary 12-item version in one subsample, we used confirmatory factor-analysis in the second subsample as well as an independent sample to test the factor structure. RESULTS: The analyses confirmed a structure of three correlating factors with adequate fit indices. Other findings relating to the validity of the long version were replicated as well. In addition, data from an independent sample of psychotherapy inpatients confirmed the factor structure and provided further evidence for its validity. CONCLUSIONS: The OPD-SQS is a viable screening instrument for supporting clinical decision making in stepped-care approaches in psychotherapy, psychosomatic medicine and psychiatry.

[Changes in self-referent emotions during inpatient psychotherapy: the role of mindfulness and acceptance]. / Veranderung von selbst-bezogenen Emotionen im therapeutischen Prozess: Die Rolle von Achtsamkeit und Akzeptanz.

OBJECTIVES: Current theoretical and clinical approaches conceive the avoidance and acceptance of emotions as critical factors in the maintenance and alleviation of psychological problems. This study investigates the role of mindfulness, experiential avoidance (EA), and positive and negative meta-emotions (emotional reactions towards the emotional self) on the symptoms and psychological well-being of inpatients. METHOD: Changes of mindfulness measured during a 6-week stay at a psychosomatic clinic were explored in a sample of 293 inpatients with diverse psychological problems. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictive power of mindfulness and acceptance on symptoms and psychological well-being. RESULTS: Staying on an inpatient ward was associated with reductions in EA and negative meta-emotions as well as improvements in mindful awareness and positive meta-emotions, i.e., participants reported greater acceptance of their own emotional reactions. These aspects were associated with a reduction in symptom severity and greater psychological well-being. A differentiation of meta-emotions allowed the meaningful identification of possible processes of change. CONCLUSIONS: Anger and contempt seem to have distinctive functions in self-regulation. Reducing the amount of contempt/shame for one's own emotions and generating greater interest were associated with symptom reduction and greater psychological well-being. Self-compassion was negatively associated with symptoms, though it had no association with psychological well-being. The theoretical implications are discussed.

El sistema Diagnóstico Psicodinámico Operacionalizado (OPD): Concepto, confiabilidad y validez / Operationalized Pshychodinamic Diagnosis (OPD): Concept, reliability and validity

This paper presents the system "Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD), which has been applied in the German speaking countries very successfully during the last 10 years. The OPD is the operationalization of the psychodynamically oriented clinical assessment. The clinical material assessed during the initial interview with the patient is described in a way which is close to the level of observation. The classification system OPD serves as a clinically relevant and process oriented tool for psychotherapists. The multidimensional psychodynamically oriented approach is based on five axes. Axis I: Experience with the illness and treatment preconditions, axis II: habituated relationships of the patient, axis III: the intrapsychic conflicts of the patient; axis IV: The psychic structure of the patient, axis V: syndromatic, according to chapter V (F) of the ICD 10. The fifth axis is conzeptualized as a linking tool to ICD-10. Reliability studies on OPD show good to satisfying scores for interrater agreement for the research context. The results derived from the validity studies support the validity of the OPD system. There are also hints for improvements of multiple categories or items within each axis.

Este artículo presenta el sistema de "diagnóstico psicodinámico operacionalizado" (OPD), que en los últimos 10 años se ha difundido ampliamente en los países de habla germana. El OPD tiene como meta operacionalizar los constructos psicoanalíticos clínicamente probados. El material clínico presentado por el paciente en la primera entrevista puede ser estimado y clasificado en un nivel lo más cercano posible a lo directamente observable. Con la OPD se puede formular un diagnóstico psicodinámico clínicamente relevante y orientador para los psicoterapeutas. El diagnóstico psicodinámico multiaxial se basa en 5 ejes diferentes: eje 1: experiencia de enfermedad y prerrequisitos para el tratamiento, eje 2: relaciones interpersonales, eje 3: conflicto, eje 4: estructura, eje 5: diagnóstico sindromático (según el capítulo V (F) del CIE 10). El eje 5 de la OPD genera un punto de unión del instrumento con el modelo del CIE. Los estudios sobre confiabilidad muestran un nivel bueno a satisfactorio de confiabilidad en el contexto investigativo. Los resultados de los estudios sobre la validez evidencian un buen nivel de validez de cada eje. Los múltiples estudios con el OPD ofrecen guías para perfeccionar las categorías.