Pattern of Changes during Treatment: A Comparison between a Positive Psychology Intervention and a Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Clinical Depression.

Research on psychotherapy has traditionally focused on analyzing changes between the beginning and the end of a treatment. Few studies have addressed the pattern of therapeutic change during treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of changes in clinical and well-being variables during a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program compared with an integrative positive psychology interventions program for clinical depression IPPI-D. 128 women with a diagnosis of major depression or dysthymia were assigned to the CBT or PPI group. A measure of depressive symptoms (i.e., Beck Depression Inventory) and well-being (i.e., Pemberton Happiness Index) were administered four times: at the beginning and end of the treatment, as well as during treatment (at sessions 4 and 7). Through mixed-model repeated measures ANOVAs, both depressive symptoms (p .08). The percentage of improvement in depressive symptoms in the first treatment period was higher than in the later ones (ps < .005). On the contrary, well-being showed a more gradual improvement (p = .15). These results highlight the importance of assessing the pattern of changes in symptoms and well-being separately.