Affect regulation in psychoanalytic treatments of patients with a borderline personality disorder–psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy–a comparison

Table 4 Changes in patient characteristics, borderline pathology, and object relations after one year of therapy (mean ± SD)

				Min	Max	P value
SWAP Borderline	PSA	6.71	9.29	-1.58	29.58	0.024a
	PDT	-3.18	7.94	-10.61	15.22
	Total	2.02	9.85	-10.61	29.58
AREQ positive affect	PSA	-0.11	0.98	-1.57	1.86	0.513
	PDT	0.19	0.86	-0.94	1.43
	Total	0.03	0.91	-1.57	1.86
QORS total score	PSA	-0.20	0.73	-1.60	0.90	0.726
	PDT	-0.34	0.75	-1.70	0.50
	Total	-0.26	0.72	-1.70	0.90
PRQ positive working alliance	PSA	0.15	0.35	-0.33	0.50	0.339
	PDT	-0.27	0.73	-1.08	0.50
	Total	-0.08	0.60	-1.08	0.50
PQS therapeutic action	PSA	-0.00	0.60	-0.73	1.00	0.318
	PDT	-0.28	0.45	-1.07	0.47
	Total	-0.14	0.53	-1.07	1.00

^aP < 0.05. Mean differences (“mean”) regarding the mean scores of the relevant variables (“Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-borderline”, “Affect experience and affect regulation Q-sort-positive affect”, “Quality of object relations scale total score”, “Psychotherapy relationship questionnaire-positive working alliance”, “Psychotherapy process Q-sort therapeutic action”) between the score at baseline vs the score after the first year of therapy (t1 minus t3, where t1 represents measurements taken at baseline and t3 after 1 yr of therapy). PSA: Psychoanalysis; PDT: Psychodynamic psychotherapy; SWAP: Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure; AREQ: Affect experience and affect regulation Q-sort; QORS: Quality of object relations scale; PRQ: Psychotherapy relationship questionnaire; PQS: Psychotherapy process Q-sort.