Effectiveness of Psychotherapy in Germany: A Replication of the Consumer Report Study

The authors performed a systematic replication of the 1994 American Consumer Report (CR) study in the Federal Republic of Germany. The German study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of several kinds of psychotherapeutic treatment of psychological disturbances from the patients' viewpoint. The original CR study questionnaire was distributed to patients with the support of Stiftung Warentest. The data analysis followed the same patterns of the CR study using its multivariate outcome scale. Essentially, the results of the CR study were reproduced. However, there were the several deviations: In the German study, patients assessed treatment given by family physicians as more negative, and male patients viewed their treatment as less effective. Because of this near replication of results in Germany, the authors observed that the CR study data are not specific for the United States but can have more global applications.