Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders (SPiPS)

Tilburg University

Status

Not yet enrolling

Conditions

Personality Disorder

Early Chilhood Trauma

Treatments

Other: Treatment as ususal

Other: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT07342270

TSB_RP2165

NL-009734 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

SUMMARY

Rationale: Personality disorders are treated conform the Dutch GGZ-zorgstandaard mainly with verbal psychotherapies but experts by experience call out to make use of body-oriented approaches as well. In general, the rationale to study the effects of bodily centered therapy for personality disorders is built on the overlap between personality disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In both classifications, childhood major events and/or traumatic life events play a role in the history of its origins (Karatzias et al., 2023).Traditional psychotherapies for personality disorders address the cognitive and emotional elements of trauma, but lack techniques that work directly with the physiological elements, although trauma profoundly affects the body and many symptoms of traumatized individuals with personality disorders are somatically based. However, studies into the effect of body centered interventions for personality disorders are scarce. This study aims to examine the effects of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP), a body-oriented intervention, in patients with a personality disorder and PTSD-symptoms. This study studies the effect of sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) which is a body-oriented intervention which focuses on the combination of a personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Objective: This multi-center randomized controlled study aims to research the effect of a 12-session sensorimotor psychotherapy (SP) group intervention, in comparison with treatment-as-usual, on emotion regulation in people with a personality disorder. In addition, the effects on body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms and personality functioning are assessed. Patients' perception of the intervention will be assessed through qualitative techniques. The study will be carried out in five mental health institutions in the Netherlands.

Study design: This is a multi-center randomized controlled trial, in which the intervention group receives a 12-sessions SP-therapy, and the control group receives treatment-as-usual of the assigned institution. Measurements through standardized instruments take place at three moments: pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1), and two months follow-up (T2). Qualitative interviews are conducted after completion of the SP-condition. In combination with the qualitative measurements, a Mixed Methods Design is used.

Study population: Patients older than 18 years, who have been diagnosed with a personality disorder and have experienced early childhood trauma.

Intervention: patients assigned to the SP-condition receive the 12-session SP group protocol (Fisher & Ogden, 2016), this protocol introduces diverse successive skills, aiming for the patient to have more somatic resources to regulate arousal of the autonomous nervous system. Every session starts with psychoeducation on a trauma-related theme, followed by one or multiple skills which are practiced in dyads and are later discussed in the group. The subjects which are covered are: autonomous arousal, implicit memory, regulation techniques, survival sources, somatic and internal resources, boundaries, practicing with experiments and repetitions, focus on positive change.

Main study parameter: The main parameter of this study is emotion regulation. Emotion regulation is examined with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-SF).

Secondary parameters: Second parameters are body awareness, self-soothing, PTSD-symptoms, personality functioning. Body awareness is examined with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2). The Soothing Receptivity Scale (SRS) is used to examine self-soothing abilities. The PTSD-checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is used to assess the PTSD-symptoms. The Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0) is used to map out personality functioning. The patients' perception of the intervention is explored through qualitative interviews. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Patients involved in this study are indicated for treatment for a personality disorder. Sensorimotor psychotherapy belongs the treatment options of some mental health institutions. Additionally, patients who are assigned to the control condition are offered the SP-condition after completing the control condition. In this way they can also benefit from the SP-condition.

Questionnaires are filled in at three moments during the treatment (T0, T1, T2), filling in the questionnaires will take 60 minutes on average, which is little more than routine outcome measurement takes in Dutch mental healthcare. The qualitative interviews after the SP-condition will take up 60 minutes on average.

Enrollment

131 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

16+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Aged 16 and older
Diagnosed with a personality disorder according to the DSM-classification
Has a history of early childhood trauma

Exclusion criteria

Does not master Dutch / English sufficiently for filling out the questionnaire cannot fill participate in the research.
Presents factors or behaviour that disrupts participation in the group and undermines treatment will be excluded from this study.