Observing the Working Alliance in Videoconferencing Psychotherapy for Alcohol Addiction: Reliability and Validity of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Revised Observer

Nathálya Soares Ribeiro; Fernando Antonio Basile Colugnati; Nikolaos Kazantzis; Nikolaos Kazantzis; Laisa Marcorela Andreoli Sartes

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647814

Frontiers in Psychology (Aug 2021)

Observing the Working Alliance in Videoconferencing Psychotherapy for Alcohol Addiction: Reliability and Validity of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Revised Observer

Nathálya Soares Ribeiro,
Fernando Antonio Basile Colugnati,
Nikolaos Kazantzis,
Nikolaos Kazantzis,
Laisa Marcorela Andreoli Sartes

Affiliations

Nathálya Soares Ribeiro: Human Sciences Institute, Psychology Department, Center for Research, Intervention, and Evaluation for Alcohol and Drugs, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Fernando Antonio Basile Colugnati: Human Sciences Institute, Psychology Department, Center for Research, Intervention, and Evaluation for Alcohol and Drugs, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Nikolaos Kazantzis: Cognitive Behavior Therapy Research Unit, Institute for Social Neuroscience, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Nikolaos Kazantzis: Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Laisa Marcorela Andreoli Sartes: Human Sciences Institute, Psychology Department, Center for Research, Intervention, and Evaluation for Alcohol and Drugs, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647814
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12

Abstract

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The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the mental health and alcohol consumption of individuals. Videoconferencing psychotherapy has become a fundamental mode of treatment for people with alcohol use disorders. However, there are still doubts about its effectiveness and the therapeutic relationship. The working alliance is considered a foundation of effective practice in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Observer measurements of the working alliance have demonstrated reliability and meaningful associations with the reduction of symptoms. However, translations of instruments to evaluate the working alliance and examine its construct have not previously been conducted for online psychotherapy for alcohol addiction. This study aimed for the cross-cultural adaptation of the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form-Observer (WAI-SR-O) for Brazil and the evaluation of its reliability and evidence of its validity in videoconferencing psychotherapy for alcoholism. The WAI-SR-O was applied by pairs of observers for the evaluation of the working alliance in 19 recorded sessions of videoconferencing psychotherapy of 10 clients with a diagnosis of alcohol addiction. The sessions were also evaluated by the therapist (WAI-T) and client (WAI-C). The WAI-SR-O shows a moderate inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.67) for the general scale, higher ICC for the goals and bond subscales, and a moderate value for the task subscale. The internal consistency was good (a = 0.86). The results show low but significant correlations among the goals and bond subscales of the WAI-SR-O and the general, goals, and bond scales of the WAI-T. No correlations were found with the WAI-C. As the literature points out, the client, therapist, and observer versions of the WAI evaluated the alliance differently, requiring further study. The WAI-SR-O proved to be a reliable and valid measurement for the evaluation of the working alliance in videoconferencing psychotherapy for alcohol addiction, becoming an important tool for the study of the working alliance in telepsychotherapy.

Published in Frontiers in Psychology

ISSN: 1664-1078 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Philosophy. Psychology. Religion: Psychology
Website: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology

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