(PS1-98) Social Support Factors as Predictors of Depression Symptom Change Across Psychotherapy: A Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract Text: Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs), like CBT and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are effective psychotherapies for depression, yet symptom improvement varies among individuals. Identifying prognostic indicators of symptom outcomes can help determine which patients are most likely to benefit from these treatments. Social support, comprising a range of dynamic factors linked closely to the onset and course of depression, may be particularly important to examine as predictors of treatment outcomes. In this study, we aimed to identify distinct social support profiles in a sample of 42 patients with major depression and examine whether these profiles predict symptom change following an 8-week course of group CBT and ACT. At pretreatment, patients self-reported perceived social support (via one week of ecological momentary assessments), interpersonal problems (via the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems), support from specific sources (via the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support significant other, family, and friends subscales), and depressive symptoms (via the Patient Health Questionnaire-9). At posttreatment, patients also self-reported depressive symptoms. We identified four profiles differing in level of perceived support, stability of perceived support, source of support, and level of interpersonal problems. While profiles did not differ in pretreatment symptoms, they significantly predicted changes in depressive symptoms across treatment (R²=.22, p=.03). All profiles showed average symptom decreases, but the profile characterized by stable, high perceived social support received primarily from a significant other showed significantly greater symptom improvements compared to the other profiles. These findings underscore the utility of considering social support factors as predictors of treatment outcomes.