The Psychosocial Effects of Systemic / Family Constellation

The Psychosocial Effects of Systemic / Family Constellation: An Observational Follow-up Study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychosocial effects of systemic / family constellation. The method of systemic / family constellation refers to an approach which integrates ideas from family systems therapy with elements from psychodrama. The constellations are conducted in a group based seminar-setting, each seminar lasting two days.

Considering the very limited amount of empirical data on this method, the study design is a simple pre-post one with a 6-months follow-up. The study will be observational: the researchers will not manipulate who receives the intervention; instead they invite all clients (individuals from the general population) attending these therapeutic workshops run independently of the research process. Given the limited amount of evidence on this therapeutic method, special attention will be given to monitor potential adverse outcomes to establish intervention safety.

It is hypothesized that participation in a family constellation seminar might decrease potential psychological symptoms and will not result in adverse outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mild to Moderate Psychopathological Symptoms
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Systemic / family constellation

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 182

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hungary
  • Budapest, Hungary, 1037
    • Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Individuals from the general population who seek help through family constellation seminars for various mild to moderate psychological symptoms.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Self-referred and registered for a family constellation workshop with one of the therapists (clinical psychologist / psychiatrist) who were willing to collaborate with the researchers of the present study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age under 18 years
• Currently suffers from a diagnosed mental disorder
• Participated actively (not merely as a "representative") in a family constellation intervention in the 12 months preceding baseline assessment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Workshop participants; Participants of systemic / family constellation workshops

Behavioral: Systemic / family constellation; Systemic / family constellation integrates elements from psychodrama, family sculpture, and spontaneous dramatizations of intra- and interpersonal processes, while spatially visualizing family dynamics. Family constellations stimulate change through the following ways: 1) making visible the spatial arrangement of relationships within a conflictual system; 2) providing access to the insights of unrelated third parties regarding the sensations, feelings, and thoughts they experienced while representing family members within the constellation; and 3) making observable (from the outside) and experienceable (from within) the transformation of the problem constellation into the solution constellation [Hunger, Weinhold, Bornhäuser, Link, & Schweitzer, 2015].

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory	A broad spectrum of psychopathological symptoms including somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in answers to ad hoc items developed for qualitative analysis	These items are developed by the study authors to 1) screen for any potential adverse outcomes as a result of the intervention, 2) better understand the treatment goals of individuals participating in this form of therapy and how these relate to what they perceive as the outcome of the intervention	1 and 6 months after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in scores on the Experience in Personal Social Systems Questionnaire	Assessment of how the members of a personal social system experience their situation within that system.	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire Somatic Symptom Severity Scale (PHQ-15)	The PHQ-15 includes 15 somatic symptoms (headache, stomach pain, chest pain, dizziness, etc.) that account for more than 90% of symptoms seen in primary care (exclusive of upper respiratory symptoms)	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in scores on the SCOFF	The SCOFF is a brief screener to detect increased risk for eating disorders	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in scores on ad hoc items to assess behavioral and substance-related addictions	Items assess perceived problem severity with addictions	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in scores on the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ)	The MLQ assesses the perceived level of the presence and search for meaning in an individual's life	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention
Change in scores on the World Health Organization Wellbeing Index (WBI-5)	The WBI-5 captures the general well-being of the individuals	Before, 1 month after and 6 months after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary
• Collaborators: University of Toronto
• Investigators: Study Director: Barna Konkoly Thege, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Univeristy of Toronto

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Konkoly Thege B, Petroll C, Rivas C, Scholtens S. The Effectiveness of Family Constellation Therapy in Improving Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Fam Process. 2021 Jun;60(2):409-423. doi: 10.1111/famp.12636. Epub 2021 Feb 2.
• Weinhold J, Hunger C, Bornhauser A, Link L, Rochon J, Wild B, Schweitzer J. Family constellation seminars improve psychological functioning in a general population sample: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Couns Psychol. 2013 Oct;60(4):601-9. doi: 10.1037/a0033539. Epub 2013 Aug 19.
• Hunger C, Weinhold J, Bornhauser A, Link L, Schweitzer J. Mid- and long-term effects of family constellation seminars in a general population sample: 8- and 12-month follow-up. Fam Process. 2015 Jun;54(2):344-58. doi: 10.1111/famp.12102. Epub 2014 Sep 29.
• Hunger C, Bornhauser A, Link L, Schweitzer J, Weinhold J. Improving experience in personal social systems through family constellation seminars: results of a randomized controlled trial. Fam Process. 2014 Jun;53(2):288-306. doi: 10.1111/famp.12051. Epub 2013 Nov 19.
• Konkoly Thege B, Somogyi B, Szabo GS. The Effectiveness of Family Constellation Therapy in Reducing Psychopathological Symptoms in a Naturalistic Setting. Psychiatr Danub. 2022 Fall;34(3):497-505. doi: 10.24869/psyd.2022.497.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 30, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 25, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 27, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): July 31, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 21, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 18, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 325/2017/P

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: The investigators have not requested permission from their study participants to make their data available to others to increase participants' sense of confidentiality and so willingness to participate in the study. As a consequence, in case of a data sharing request, the investigators would have to seek for additional explicit permission from the participants. As the investigators have committed to destroy participant contact data after finishing the study, the chances of such data sharing seem slim. However, the investigators are more than happy to conduct alternative analyses based on interested colleagues' suggestions / inquiry and share the raw output (including analytic syntax) of such analyses with those making the inquiry.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No