Exploring the Relationship Between Time-Series Data Collection and Duration of Treatment in a University Clinic: A Survival Analysis

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in time-series research and the duration of psychotherapy. In previous research, 50 patients were accepted into the Time-Series Study at the University of Tennessee Psychological Clinic. Study participation included a significant degree of patient involvement, including repeated assessment of process and outcome variables totaling 120 items which patients were asked to complete twice a week. It was hypothesized that participation in this type of research may have resulted in shorter treatment duration due to increased subject burden, or may have motivated patients to stay in treatment, thus increasing treatment retention rates. Survival analysis was used to analyze the number of sessions attended by the time-series patients in contrast to two comparison groups, the first, a cohort of 116 patients who did not participate in the Time-Series Study, and the other, a group of 192 patients seeking treatment before the study began. Results indicated no evidence supporting the hypothesis that participation in time-series research resulted in shorter duration of treatment. However, the median number of sessions was higher for the patients who participated in the Time-Series Study, but not statistically different from the two comparison groups.