A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ITALIAN VALIDATION OF THE THERAPIST RESPONSE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ADOLESCENTS (TRQ-A)

Clinical report suggests that therapists have strong and difficult-to-manage reactions to adolescent patients with personality pathology; however, systematic research is largely absent. The aim of this study was to examine the stability of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Therapist Response Questionnaire for Adolescent (TRQ-A; Betan et al., 2005; Satir et al., 2009), a clinician report instrument able to measure the clinician’s emotional reactions to the adolescent patient in psychotherapy. A national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N = 115) of psychodynamic and cognitive– behavioral orientation completed the TRQA, as well as the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 for adolescent (SWAP-200-A; Westen et al., 2003), to assess personality disorders and level of psychological functioning, regarding a patient currently in their care. Factor analyses revealed 6 distinct countertransference factors that were not very similar to 6 dimensions identified in the original version of the measure: (a) overwhelmed/disorganized, (b) hostile/criticized, (c) positive/satisfying, (d) overinvolved/protective, (e) helpless/inadequate, and (f) disengaged. These scales showed excellent internal consistencies and good validity. They were especially able to capture the quality and intensity of emotional states that therapists experience while treating adolescent patients with personality pathology. The results seem to confirm that TRQ-A is a valid and reliable instrument that allows to evaluate patterns of countertransference responses in clinically sensitive and psychometrically robust ways, regardless of therapists’ orientations. The clinical and research implications of these findings are addressed.