GST-moms: Effects of Group-schematherapy on Mother-child Attachment
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Sponsor
- Maastricht University
- Enrollment
- 12
- Primary Endpoint
- The Maternal Postnatal attachment Scale (MPAS, 2015)
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The birth of a baby can be a stressful period. Dysfunctional schemas of the 'new' parent can be triggered making it more difficult to discern what the baby needs are. In schema therapy terms, mentalizing capacity is best described as the "healthy adult mode". A parent who responds to her baby from a healthy adult mode provides the baby a safe environment for self-development. However, interpreting the baby's signals can be a constant challenge for some parents. This can trigger early attachment relationships and schemas. At such times, the parent may become overwhelmed by their own emotions and respond less adequate to the child's needs. Distorted parental reflective functioning is associated both with insecure attachment and poor affect regulation in the parent and with various psychological disorders in the child. Treatments aimed at improving parental reflectiveness seem to have a positive impact on the quality of the attachment between parents and their baby.
The objective of this study is to measure the effects of the group-schematherapy for mothers with young children (GST moms) on mother-child attachment relations. The aim is to help moms regulate their own emotions, by understanding their own modes and schema's. In doing so will help them feel more confident to mentalize about their child and to adequately respond to their needs and emotionally bond with their baby. The researchers anticipate it will improve the quality of attachment between mother and child. Many studies have been done on the effectiveness of group schematherapy however there are no studies specifically for schematherapy for parents, in this case mothers. GST moms can be an early intervention aimed at prevention of psychological problems with the child.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Case Only
- Time Perspective
- Prospective
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 16 Years to — (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Eligible patients for the group schematherapy are mothers with young children (0-5 years), with a cluster C personality disorder.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Acute Suicidal or chronic suicidality
- •Psychotic disorder
- •Autistic spectrum disorder
- •Bipolar disorder
- •Developmental disorders
- •Any other AS-I disorder that requires treatment first (severe depression, alcohol and/or drugs abuse)
- •Cluster A or B personality disorders (traits of cluster B in combination with Cluster C personality disorder is included)
- •Neuropsychological damage
- •General problems for group therapy (auditory impairment, severe physical disability, insufficant Dutch comprehension, IQ < 80)
- •Self-mutilation
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
The Maternal Postnatal attachment Scale (MPAS, 2015)
Time Frame: Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20)
A 19 item self-report questionnaire that is used to assess mother-to-infant attachment (theemotional bond or affection experienced by the parent towards the infant)
The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ, 2009)
Time Frame: Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20)
A self-report instrument of reflective functioning.
Secondary Outcomes
- Brief Sympthom Inventory (BSI, Derogatis, 1975, de Beurs, 2006)(Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20))
- The Young Schema Questionnaire YSQ-S3 (YSQ-S3; Young, 1994).(Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20))
- The Schema Mode Inventory (SMI, Lobbestael, 2017)(Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20))
- The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck et al., 1996)(Inclusion (week 1), start therapy (variable; at least 20 weeks after inclusion), evaluation (week 10), end of group therapy (week 20), follow-up (3 months completion = week 20))
Investigators
Jeffrey Roelofs
Principal Investigator/Clinical professor (PhD)
Maastricht University