Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

Relationship between Two Dimensions of Object Relations and Group Psychotherapy Attendance Rate in Borderline Personality Disorder Individuals

Jean Gagnon, Jean-Sébastien Leblanc and Julie St-Amand

Aim: Recent studies showed that the quality of object relations in patients with personality disorders predict individual psychotherapy attendance rate. However, associations between these variables have led to inconsistent results for group psychotherapy. The aim of the present study was to verify whether two dimensions of object relations are associated with rates of attendance at group psychotherapy sessions. Methods: Thematic Apperception Test narratives of forty-one outpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) enrolled in a psychodynamic group therapy over a period of one year were rated on two variables of the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (SCORS): affective quality of representations and emotional investment in relationship. Results: Results indicated that these two affective dimensions of object relations were positively correlated with rate of attendance at group psychotherapy sessions after controlling for age of the participant. Conclusion: These results suggest that the quality of object relations could be a potential predictor for group therapy attendance. The results are discussed by taking into account the particular aspects of relational issues in group psychotherapy as opposed to individual psychotherapy.