Psychiatric Comorbidity is Associated with Increased Skill Deficits

Abstract

Lower skill levels are associated with higher comorbidity and higher level of psychopathology of patients. There is evidence for specific skill profiles within different clinical subsamples. The improvement of skills that can impact recovery from mental disorders is especially relevant for patients with multiple diagnoses. It makes sense to assess the different skills independently and consider them separately when planning interventions.

The Relationship Between Skill Deficits and Disability–A Transdiagnostic Study

“…In the first step of the analysis, we checked the bivariate correlations (Spearman's Rho) between the variables (pretreatment). The highest correlations between skills and psychopathology exist for relaxation ability ( r = −.53, p < .001) and emotion regulation ( r = −.49, p < .001); Stenzel et al () found similar correlations. In the present study, we found a significant relationship between psychopathology and disability ( r = .61, p < .001).…”

“…Considering the link between skills and comorbidity and psychopathology (Hofmann et al., ; Stenzel et al., ) and between psychopathology and disability (Bijl & Ravelli, ), the subsequent analyses were controlled for general psychopathology. The results showed that, in addition to psychopathology, stress management remained as a “predictor” of disability cross‐sectionally.…”

“…A common link between these skills is that they are associated with different mental disorders and influence their pathogenesis and course (Berking, Wupperman, et al., ; Burt, Obradovic, Long, & Masten, ; Dozois et al., ). Stenzel, Krumm, Hartwich‐Tersek, Beisel, and Rief () identified significant differences in skill levels between clinical samples and normal controls. Furthermore, skills seem to be highly relevant for therapy outcome.…”

“…For example, emotion regulation appears to be an essential skill influencing depressive symptom improvement (Fehlinger, Stumpenhorst, Stenzel, & Rief, ). Particularly in the case of comorbidity, skill training complements disorder‐specific approaches (Hofmann, Fehlinger, Stenzel, & Rief, ; Stenzel et al., ).…”

Fertigkeitstrainings in der Verhaltenstherapie

“…Mehreren Studien zufolge ergeben sich sowohl bei klinischen als auch nichtklinischen Stichproben gute psychometrische Kennwerte, und die Ergebnisse sprechen dafür, dass sich die einzelnen Fertigkeitsbereiche inhaltlich voneinander abgrenzen lassen [Stenzel et al, 2010;Stenzel und Rief, 2011]. Studien zeigen ferner substanzielle Zusammenhänge zwischen Fertigkeiten und verschiedenen Stö-rungsbildern, der allgemeinen Psychopathologie und dem Therapieerfolg [Fehlinger et al, 2013a,b;Hofmann et al, 2015;Stenzel et al, 2013]. Die Informationen über die Fertigkeiten können zu einem Funktionsprofil einer Person integriert, vor dem Hintergrund des jeweiligen Störungsbildes interpretiert und für die Ableitung psychotherapeutischer Interventionen genutzt werden.…”