Priming Attachment Security Within an IAPT Setting

University of Sheffield

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: Treatment as Usual with Security Prime; Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (Behavioural Activation)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04022759

249633

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is growing evidence that priming attachment security is associated with improved attitudes towards therapy, increased engagement and decreased levels of depression and anxiety. Within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme a consistent problem has been identified of high dropout rates at step 2 services (i.e. where mild to moderate anxious and depressed patients receive guided self-help interventions). The current study incorporates a feasibility and pilot design. The feasibility element will explore issues related to study design to determine suitability for conducting a future randomised control trial (RCT). The pilot study will look at the processes outlined in the protocol to determine whether the study components all work together. Moreover, it will preliminarily aim to explore the effectiveness of the attachment security priming intervention on symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as impaired functioning. Both elements of the study will determine whether any changes are needed to the study design or protocol, and whether a future RCT is suitable and necessary.

Full description

The study is being conducted in an IAPT primary care service in North Yorkshire. The study will be recruiting 50 participants experiencing mild to moderate depression who are deemed suitable for 'behavioural activation' low intensity guided self-help intervention. Following telephone screening for intervention, clinicians will ask clients if they wish to hear more about participating in a research study. If participants say yes, their contact details will be passed on to the researcher who will send them the study information sheet and consent form in the post. If the participant consents to taking part in the research, they will be randomised to receive either treatment as usual (low-intensity guided self-help utilising behavioural activation for depression) or treatment with security priming intervention (treatment as usual with an additional security priming task). They will have between 6-8 sessions as routinely delivered within the service and will be asked to complete measures of depression, anxiety and impaired functioning on a sessional basis. The principal investigator at the study site will collect information regarding attendance to therapy, dropout rates, and 'stepping' clients up to higher-intensity therapies as primary outcomes.

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Accepted for Behavioural Activation guided self-help intervention for depression with study NHS IAPT site.
• Over age 18.
• Adequate English ability.

Exclusion criteria

• Not suitable for Behavioural Activation guided self-help intervention for depression with study NHS IAPT site.
• Inadequate English ability.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Treatment as Usual

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants randomised to the 'treatment as usual' group will receive behavioural activation guided-self help intervention as routinely delivered in the service.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (Behavioural Activation)

Treatment with Security Prime

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomised to the experimental group will receive behavioural activation guided self-help intervention as is routinely delivered in the service with additional attachment security priming intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual with Security Prime