Paths to psychotherapy in the middle years: A longitudinal study

This is a longitudinal study of the antecedents of entry into psychotherapy. The population studied consisted of 123 adults, aged 40-50, who had been subjects of long-term growth studies since childhood or early adolescence. These subjects were grouped according to whether or not they had sought psychotherapy within the period 1958-1970. Discriminant analysis was used to form composites of antecedent personality and life-course indicators that best distinguished those who sought psychotherapy in the study period from those who did not. Indicators of personality included a Q-sorted evaluation of psychological health and a series of assessment scales derived from the California Psychological Inventory; these variables were measured at the beginning of the study period. Indicators of life-events were obtained by systematically coding retrospective open-ended interviews that were conducted with each subject at the end of the study period. The two composites, along with indicators of demographic background, were entered into a path modelling procedure, to predict entry into psychotherapy. The analysis uncovered differences between men and women in the pattern of "therapy-prone" personality and life-course. Men who entered therapy exhibited acting-out and impulsive personality traits, coupled with a life-events profile indicative of role-failure. Women exhibited a general psychological distress profile, with few distinct life-course characteristics. The independent variables accounted for between 57 and 79% of the variance in therapy-seeking; personality and life-course accounted for the bulk of the variation.