Predictors of Change of Working Alliance Over the Course of Probation Supervision: A Prospective Cohort Study

• Author: Vivienne de Vogel,Annelies Sturm,Anneke Menger,Marcus J. H. Huibers
• Date: 01 June 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19878554
• Published date: 01 June 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X19878554

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2020, Vol. 64(8) 753 –773

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19878554

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Article

Predictors of Change of

Working Alliance Over

the Course of Probation

Supervision: A Prospective

Cohort Study

Annelies Sturm1, Anneke Menger1,

Vivienne de Vogel1, and Marcus J. H. Huibers2

Abstract

The body of evidence that the working alliance is associated with positive outcomes

for mandated clients is growing. The aim of this research was to investigate the

influence of several characteristics of probation officers (POs) and offenders on the

course of the working alliance during probation supervision. This study examined

the patterns on the four alliance subscales: Trust, Bond, Goals-Restrictions, and

Reactance of the Working Alliance With Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI) in

201 offenders and their 137 POs. Three patterns on each alliance subscale were

found: deteriorating, improving, and stable. Multinomial logistic analysis revealed

that change of POs and the preference of the PO to maintain rules were associated

with a deteriorating Trust pattern. From the perspective of the offenders, being

motivated to take part in supervision was associated with a stable pattern on every

alliance subscale, but having problems with substance use increased the likelihood of

a deteriorating pattern on every alliance subscale.

Keywords

working alliance, predictors, probation officer, offender, community supervision

1HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands

2Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Corresponding Author:

Annelies Sturm, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Padualaan 101, 3584 CH Utrecht, The

Netherlands.

Email: annelies.sturm@hu.nl

878554IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X19878554International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology \Sturm et al.

research-article2019

754 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 64(8)

Introduction

The working alliance between the practitioner and the client in psychotherapy treat-

ment has been found to account for an important part of the variance in outcome across

different psychotherapy modalities (Horvath, Del Re, Flückiger, & Symonds, 2011;

Martin, Garske, & Davis, 2000). The practitioner–client relationship is considered

increasingly important in mandated treatment as well. In the theoretical framework of

probation supervision, the relationship between the offender and the probation officer

(PO) is suggested to be an effective factor (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). To explore the

importance of this relationship, several researchers have applied the concept of alli-

ance to the domain of mandated treatment (Florsheim, Shotorbani, Guest-Warnick,

Barrat, & Hwang, 2000; Menger, 2018; Polaschek & Ross, 2010; Ross, Polaschek, &

Ward, 2008; Skeem, Eno Louden, Polaschek, & Camp, 2007). It should be noted that

the relationship between the PO and the offender differs from the relationship in vol-

untary psychotherapy. The PO not only has a helping or problem-solving role but also

a controlling or surveilling role (Trotter, 2015). This dual role may hinder the forming

of the working alliance. Still, research has shown that offenders are able to form a

positive alliance with their PO (Tatman & Love, 2010).

One focus of research in voluntary psychotherapy has been the development of the

working alliance over the course of treatment: The alliance is essentially dynamic, and

one point in time cannot cover a process of therapy with all its strains and changes

(Doran, 2016; Stiles & Goldsmith, 2010). Kivlighan and Shaughnessy (1995, 2000)

conducted two studies on the dynamic development of the alliance in short-term volun-

tary psychotherapy. The first study included 21 clients and 21 novice counselors and

found only one pattern of linear growth of alliance. The second study consisted of two

samples, one of 38 and one of 41 clients, and their novice counselors found three pat-

terns—stable, linear growth, and curved high-low-high. The curved pattern was associ-

ated with the improvement of counseling outcome. However, these findings were not

replicated in later studies. For example, in other studies on short-term psychotherapy

(four to 40 sessions), a stable pattern and one of linear growth have been found (De

Roten et al., 2004; Stevens, Muran, Safran, Gorman & Winston, 2007; Stiles et al.,

2004), but not a curved one. Instead, some clients with a sharply defined V-shaped pat-

tern had better outcomes (Stiles et al., 2004). However, those patterns were not found

in other studies (De Roten et al., 2004; Kramer, De Roten, Beretta, Michel, & Despland,

2009; Stevens, Muran, Safran, Gorman, & Arnold, 2007). Three studies have been con-

ducted in long-term voluntary psychotherapy (60-300 sessions). An improving, stable

pattern of alliance was reported by Loos et al. (2015) in a large international study

including 588 clients with severe mental illness from six different European countries.

Similar results were found in a study with 128 adult outpatients experiencing mood or

anxiety disorders (Ollila, Knekt, Heinonen, & Lindfors, 2016). In their study with 201

outpatients of a psychiatric clinic, Hersoug, Høglend, Havik, and Monsen (2010) found

three patterns of alliance: improving, deteriorating, and stable.

In terms of patterns of the working alliance in mandated treatment, three studies are

relevant to consider here. First, assessing the alliance among adolescent delinquent