Mindfulness Therapy for Maladaptive Interpersonal Dependency: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.
Behavior therapy November 1, 2015 Andrew S McClintock, Timothy Anderson, Saryn Cranston
A mindfulness-based therapy for maladaptive interpersonal dependency (MT-MID) produced larger improvements than a minimal contact control on five outcomes—mindfulness, maladaptive dependency, helplessness, fears of negative evaluation, and excessive reassurance seeking—at both posttreatment and a 4-week follow-up. Median effect sizes were large (d=1.61 at posttreatment, d=1.51 at follow-up). Clinically significant change occurred in 56.5% of MT-MID participants at posttreatment and 42.9% at follow-up, versus 0% in the control group. Increases in mindfulness appeared to mediate the dependency improvements. The results offer preliminary support for this mindfulness-based approach.