FIELD DEPENDENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF ALCOHOLIC THERAPY DROPOUTS

It is suggested that early dropouts from psychotherapy are significantly more field-dependent than remainers, however, no differences in field dependence were obtained between dropouts and remainers in drug therapy.

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate relationships between perceptual field dependence and selection criteria and dropout rates for alcoholic outpatients assigned to psychotherapy and drug therapy programs. Nineteen selectees for individual “insight” psychotherapy were compared with 19 nonselectees and with 18 drug therapy patients. On the basis of prior studies of field dependence it was hypothesized that alcoholics selected, by traditional clinical criteria, for insight psychotherapy would be significantly more field-independent than nonselectees. This hypothesis was supported by the results. It was further hypothesized that field dependence would be related to dropout status of alcoholic patients. Relatively field-dependent patients were expected to be early dropouts from psychotherapy, and relatively field-independent patients were expected to be early dropouts from drug therapy. The present results suggest that early dropouts from psychotherapy are significantly more field-dependent than remainers. However, no differences in field dependence were obtained between dropouts and remainers in drug therapy.