Toward Data-Based Case Conceptualization: A Functional Analysis Approach With Ecological Momentary Assessment
Network analyses and process-based approaches to psychotherapy are thrilling developments for psychotherapy research and practice, but they lack a therapeutic rationale for the individual selection of treatment modules. Conceptualizing the conditional relations around human responses using functional analysis could guide case conceptualization and treatment planning. In a pilot study with four participants (a 30- and a 25-year-old man; a 19- and a 44-year-old woman), we developed and tested the feasibility and acceptance of an assessment that comprises elements of functional analysis for participants with emotional disorders. We assessed an individualized set of items three times per day, for a period of 30 days, with ecological momentary assessment while participants were waiting for psychotherapy. The implementation proved to be both feasible and accepted; participants did not report any side effects. Three datasets were included in the analysis; one had to be excluded because the minimum response rate of 80% (out of 90 data points) was not met. P-factor and network analyses revealed meaningful behavioral clusters (e.g., participant 1: hopelessness, procrastination, coping, avoidance). The assessment is a promising diagnostic tool that helps participants and therapists identify and systemize relevant behavior patterns and to draw conclusions for treatment planning.