Satisfaction with Life in a Clinical Sample
Cognitions, Interpersonal Relations, and Life Satisfaction in Outpatients.
Historically psychology aimed to decrease pathology, make people’s lives more fulfilling, and enhance human strengths. Psychological research has identified various sequelae of clinical syndromes. Structural brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter levels, attachment patterns, social support, parenting styles, cognitions, communication/expressive patterns, and behavioral deficits have all been hypothesized to be related to pathology. Countless clinical interventions (e.g., pharmacological treatments, cognitive therapies, Interpersonal Therapy, parent training, Functional Analytic Therapy) have been designed to alleviate suffering and impact many of these related factors. Many of these interventions have demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials in specific clinical populations.
Unfortunately, far fewer studies have been conducted to identify the variables related to areas of positive functioning as opposed to pathology. However, the field of positive psychology has specifically targeted these areas. Some research findings indicate that interpersonal and cognitive variables are related to constructs of life satisfaction, negative affect, and positive mood. This provides some support for cognitive models of emotion. In one study on a sample of 207 college students and 28 psychotherapy outpatients, interpersonal relationships (IR) were found to be highly correlated with life satisfaction. Furthermore IR was a mediating variable between irrational beliefs and life satisfaction. This finding may have implications for clinical practice. It is therefore important to replicate this study on a larger sample of psychotherapy outpatients to determine the role of irrational beliefs may have on interpersonal relationships, and thereby satisfaction with life.
The current study was designed to examine the relationships among beliefs, interpersonal relationships, and life satisfaction in a large sample of psychotherapy outpatients. Two hundred and fifty-three outpatients to date have completed the questionnaires assessing these variables. Previous research used the Rational Beliefs Inventory, which only has irrational subscales, whereas the present study includes the Shortened General Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (SGABS). In addition, the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used to assess life satisfaction. The Interpersonal Relations subscale of the Outcome Questionnaire was included to assess the quality of interpersonal relationships.