Relating a Model of Resolution of Arrested Anger to Outcome in Emotion-Focused Therapy of Depression

The present study explored essential client performances believed to be involved in depression resolution with arrested anger at its core for 32 cases. The five predictors were: 1. marker of arrested anger, 2. the expression of assertive anger, 3. empathic and insightful understanding of the Other/Self-Critic, 4. expression of primary adaptive sadness, and 5. letting go/forgiving the Other/Self-Critic. Two independent, blind to outcome raters used The Marker of Arrested Anger Rating Scale (MAARS) and The Resolution of Depression Components Scale (RDCS), both 5-point scales developed during the study, to measure the predictors. The average of "peak" ratings was used. Final outcome was assessed using change scores on three self-report measures: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II, depressive symptomatology), Global Severity Index (GSI, global symptomatology), and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP, interpersonal difficulties). Pearson’s correlations indicated the marker of arrested anger is strongly related with pre-treatment BDI-II scores (r = .78, p<.001), but not GSI and IIP. Simultaneous regressions analyses showed that taken together, the components of resolution significantly predicted changes in BDI-II scores (64% of the overall variance explained), but not in GSI and IIP. Assertive anger expression is a unique independent predictor of BDI-II and GSI change scores (42% and 35% variance explained), but not of IIP change scores. Letting go/forgiving was another independent predictor of BDI-II change scores (23% variance explained). No other components of resolution independently predicted outcome. The results are discussed in light of existing research in depression and emotional processing in EFT.