SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2022
The Working Alliance Inventory's Measurement Properties: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Responsible artificial intelligence integration framework for psychiatric guidelines.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Guideline
- Specific and shared mechanisms mediating pain intensity and functional outcomes in chronic neck pain.Pain management · 2026Trial
- Trial
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy for Adults With Binge-Eating Disorder.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Trial
- Artificial Intelligence Discontinuation Effects (AI-DICE): An Emerging Phenomenon in Mental Health Applications.JMIR AI · 2026Article
- In-session emotional experiencing in brief psychotherapy conducted by trainee psychologists: process, alliance, and the role of therapist persuasiveness.Research in psychotherapy (Milano) · 2026Article
- Impact of the 'Reserved Therapeutic Space' Nursing Intervention on Acute Mental Health Inpatients' Perceptions of the Therapeutic Relationship, Quality of Care, Perceived Coercion and Length of Stay: A Multicentre Quasi-Experimental Trial.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing · 2026Article
- Article
- Validating the working alliance inventory in a mobile health smoking cessation program: A quasi-experimental study among Mexican adults who smoke.Tobacco induced diseases · 2026Article
- Efficacy of cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment for individuals living with symptoms associated with environmental factors (SAEF): protocol for a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- COMPASS: Computational mapping of patient-therapist alliance strategies with language modeling.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- The "good enough" facilitator: elucidating the role of working alliance in the mechanism of facilitation.Implementation science communications · 2025Article
- Measuring the therapeutic bond in genetic counseling: Testing measurement error in the bond subscale of the Working Alliance Inventory.Journal of genetic counseling · 2025Article
- Therapeutic Alliance in a Culturally Tailored Transition Program for Latino Young Adults with Autism and Their Families.International journal of systemic therapy · 2025Article
- Developing an instrument to measure the quality of social work cancer counseling regarding return to work - psychometric properties of the German Quality of Cancer Counseling Questionnaire-Return to Work (QCCQ-W).Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2024Article
- The working alliance inventory - short version: psychometric properties of the patient and therapist form in youth mental health and addiction care.BMC psychology · 2024Article
- Effects of therapeutic alliance on patients with major depressive disorder: a literature review.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Review
- Validation of the Working Alliance Inventory- Short Form for Patient (WAI-S-P) in Peruvian Adults.Patient preference and adherence · 2023Article
- Design of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial: Strengthening Positive Treatment Expectations Using a Communication Model for Maximized Antiemetic Effects of Acupuncture and Antiemetics During Emetogenic Neo-/Adjuvant Chemotherapy.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Measurement properties of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) and its various translations and adaptations for specific target groups have been investigated for over 30 years. No systematic review analyzing studies on measurement properties of the WAI has been conducted to date. COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurements INstruments (COSMIN) were developed for conducting high-quality systematic reviews on measurement properties in a transparent and standardized way. Aim of this study was to systematically review studies on measurement properties of the WAI, and its adapted versions, within psychotherapy, and other healthcare contexts using COSMIN criteria. PsycINFO, Medline, and EMBASE were searched (1989-2021). In all phases of the review procedure, study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, rating of the quality of measurement properties, and rating of the quality of evidence for measurement properties, disagreement between reviewers was resolved by discussion. Results on validity, internal structure, reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness were analyzed. In total 66 studies were included. In most studies, evidence for measurement properties was according to COSMIN criteria, insufficient, lacking, or conflicting. Content validity was rated insufficient because neither patients nor healthcare professionals were involved in the development and validation process. Hence evidence for content validity of the WAI is unknown. Conflicting evidence was found for structural validity. Evidence for internal consistency could not be established. Limited evidence was found for inter-rater reliability and convergent validity. Conflicting evidence was also found for test-retest reliability and divergent validity. COSMIN criteria exposed persistent problems in validation studies of the WAI. These findings may indicate that measurement properties of the WAI are not up to current standards, or that COSMIN criteria may be less appropriate for assessing measurement properties of the WAI, or it could indicate both. The results of this systematic review suggest that WAI outcomes should be interpreted with caution and further research is needed regarding the content validity and hypotheses development. For the future, the theoretical framework underlying the measurement of the working alliance needs to be studied in psychotherapy and other health contexts, and tested in methodologically sound studies. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42019051428.
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