Objective: Interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) aims to treat depression by addressing one of four problem areas: grief, role disputes, role transitions, or interpersonal deficits. This study compared the characteristics of adolescents by problem area and evaluated the impact of problem area on outcomes.
Methods: Forty adolescents (ages 12-17) participated in a randomized trial of adaptive treatment strategies that included IPT-A.
Results: Adolescents with role disputes were younger than adolescents with interpersonal deficits or role transitions and had worse expectations for therapeutic alliance than those in the transitions group. Adolescents with interpersonal deficits had higher attachment avoidance than those in the transitions group. Posttreatment, adolescents in the transitions group had more severe depression and social adjustment problems than those in the deficits group and more social adjustment problems than those in the disputes group.
Conclusions: This preliminary study's findings suggest that differing IPT-A problem areas may affect prognosis.
Keywords: Depressive disorders; Interpersonal; Major depressive disorder; Psychotherapy.