NCT05986552

The Influence of Treatment Format on Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

The Influence of Treatment Format on Effectiveness of and Dropout From Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Individual vs. Combined Individual Group Schema Therapy

• Status: Enrolling By Invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 132 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Amsterdam · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare etc. in patients with borderline personality disorder pure individual schema therapy to combined individual-group schema therapy. The main questions it aims to answer are: * is there a difference in effectiveness? * is there a difference in (early) treatment dropout? Participants will receive either * individual schema therapy or * combined individual-group schema therapy. Researchers will compare individual to combined individual-group schema therapy see if there is a difference in effects and/or a difference in dropout from treatment.

Detailed description

Schema Therapy (ST) for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was originally developed and tested as an individual treatment. Since 2009 group-ST became popular as an supposedly efficient alternative. A RCT found combined individual-group ST to be superior to predominantly group-ST. Thus, individual ST is important. The question arises how combined individual-group ST compares to purely individual ST. This study compares the two formats of ST in a multicenter randomized clinical trial (RCT). The primary outcomes are severity of BPD and (early) treatment dropout. Secondary outcomes include: measures of specific BPD-symptoms; schemas and schema-modes; general mental symptoms; general functioning; and happiness. Moderators hypothesized to predict what patient characteristics are related to differences in effectiveness between the 2 formats are also tested. At least 132 BPD patients from at least 2 sites will be randomized to combined individual-group ST or individual ST. Treatments will take 2 years. Assessments take place every 6 months, and 1 year after end of treatment.

Conditions

• Borderline Personality Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Individual Schema Therapy (IST)	IST is a form of empirically supported specialized psychotherapy for personality disorders. It is delivered in individual sessions by trained therapists.
BEHAVIORAL	Individual-Group Schema Therapy (IGST)	IGST is a form of empirically supported specialized psychotherapy for personality disorders. It is delivered in the combination of individual sessions and group therapy sessions by trained therapists.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-11-10
• Primary completion: 2027-03-01
• Completion: 2027-12-30
• First posted: 2023-08-14
• Last updated: 2025-01-20

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Netherlands