GST-moms: Effects of Group-schematherapy on Mother-child Attachment Relations

October 21, 2023 updated by: Jeffrey Roelofs, Maastricht University

GST-moms: Effects of Group-schematherapy on Mother-child Attachment

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 Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

12

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Mothers with young children (0-5 years) with Cluster C personality disorder or mixed/other personality disorder (cluster C and cluster B traits) who encounter problems in the mother-child interaction. They may have depressive and/or anxiety symptoms aswell.

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
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)
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 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.
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)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Young Schema Questionnaire YSQ-S3 (YSQ-S3; Young, 1994).
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)
De Young Schema Questionnaire is a self-report instrument to assess 18 dysfunctional schemas and consists of 90 items
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)
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)
To asses schema modes (118 items)
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)
Brief Sympthom Inventory (BSI, Derogatis, 1975, de Beurs, 2006)
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 questionnaire to evaluate a broad range of psychological problems and symptoms of psychopathology.
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)
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 questionnaire of depressive symptoms.
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)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Working Model of the child interview (WMCI; Zeanah, Benoit & Barton, 1996)
Time Frame: Inclusion Week 1
The WMCI is a semistructured interview to asses the internal representations of their child and relationship with the child.
Inclusion Week 1
The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein, 1994)
Time Frame: Inclusion Week 1
A self report measure to identify diffent types of childhood trauma and abuse.
Inclusion Week 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Maastricht University

Collaborators

Psychologiepraktijk Esra

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Roelofs, PhD, Maastricht University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 13, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 21, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

October 26, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 26, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 21, 2023

Last Verified

October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ERCPN 264_29_02_2023

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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