Holding a Foster Child's Mind in Mind

VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Behavior Problem; Attachment Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Mentalization Based Therapy MBT; Behavioral: Usual care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05196724

301703

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT) for foster families in Denmark on child mental health and well-being, parental stress, mental health, and reflective function, parental mind-mindedness and the parent-child relationship.

Full description

Children placed in foster care are psychologically and physically vulnerable and show more social, developmental, and behavioral problems than children living with their family of origin. Many foster parents struggle to care for these children, some of whom have experienced serious adversity at a young age. The study examines the effects of Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT) in a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 175 foster families with children aged 4-17 years in 10 Danish municipalities.

Enrollment: 175 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Any kind of foster family (including professional and kinship care) with at least one full-time foster child aged 4-17 years.
• Elevated child symptoms as measured by X scales and
• An expressed need for support from either the foster parents or the foster child.

Exclusion criteria

• Foster families in which there are no reported difficulties and concerns regarding the child or the placement.
• Foster families in which the child was placed with the family within the last X months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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175 participants in 2 patient groups

Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT)

Experimental group

Description:

MBT for foster carers is a 12 session therapeutic intervention that will be offered to foster families by municipal foster care consultants

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mentalization Based Therapy MBT

Usual care

Active Comparator group

Description:

the control group will receive the usual care offered to foster families such as supervision

Treatment:

Behavioral: Usual care