Predictors of adolescents' return to psychodynamic psychotherapy and symptoms presented at each point of referral

The present study aimed to examine adolescents who returned to psychodynamic psychotherapy after terminating a previous psychodynamic treatment and compare them with young people who did not return. We examined the clinical archives of a community-based clinic in Southern Brazil, identifying adolescents who sought psychodynamic psychotherapy after previously terminating a therapy process in the same institution. We carried out statistical analyses investigating the association between variables as well as potential causal relations between them. Age range, symptoms of anxiety/depression, thought problems and the reason for the initial termination were positively associated with returning for a second psychotherapy after the termination of the first one. Rule-breaking symptoms and somatic complaints were negatively associated with returning to therapy. Finally, it was identified that symptoms presented at the beginning of each treatment, such as anxiety/depression, thought problems and aggressive behaviour, were significantly less intense at the beginning of the second treatment. Conversely, somatic symptoms were significantly greater at the second point of referral. Identifying characteristics that may indicate a possible return to treatment can contribute to the optimization of the therapeutic process and facilitate, along with the patient, openness to a new treatment in the future.