Longitudinal Investigation of Psychotherapy Outcomes (LIPO): Description of the Study Protocol

This study will be conducted in the city of Porto Alegre in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in far-southern Brazil. This region has Portuguese, Italian, German, and African influence. It has a population of 1.4 million, and it is the 10th most populous city in Brazil. Its ethnic distribution is as follows: White (79.2%), Black (10.2%), and Pardo (multiracial) people (10.6%). Its religious distribution is as follows: Catholic (83%), Protestant (9%), and others and atheists (8%). Brazil is a country with a high level of religiosity, and it is common for people to associate improvements in their health as being due to their faith (53). The role of religiosity in psychotherapies has not yet been clarified. According to the World Crime Index, Brazil ranks 9th, with Porto Alegre and São Paulo in the 11th and 14th place, respectively; so many patients experience a high level of urban violence and, consequently, severe life stressors related to this.DiscussionThe only naturalistic longitudinal study that we found concluded that there was no significant difference in outcomes between therapies, as well as among therapists. However, these results need to be viewed with caution given some limitations related to loss, incomplete data, and the lack of long-term follow-up. Our study used direct contact with patients, which increased the number of variables and collection of BDNF as a possible biomarker in response to psychotherapy intervention.Historically, studies in psychotherapy hav...
Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research