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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

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

Conditions
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Cluster C Personality Disorder (Diagnosis), Mother-Child Relations

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Group schematherapy


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 16 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Behavioral: Group schematherapy|Brief group schematherapy for mothers with young children (age 0-5) focused on attachment relations between mother and child|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Maternal Postnatal attachment Scale (MPAS, 2015) | 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) | 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). | 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) | 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) | 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) | 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) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Group Schematherapy, Mother-child attachment, Effectiviness