Clinical Trial: Efficacy of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: A Randomized-Controlled Trial of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy vs. Treatment by Experienced Community Psychotherapists for Borderline Personality Disorder

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to find out whether Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is effective in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Detailed Summary:

Borderline personality disorder represents a sever clinical condition that affects 1-2% of the community and is characterized by a pervasive instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, as well as a marked impulsivity; up to 10% of the patients commit suicide.

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is one psychotherapeutic approach among five that have been manualized and evaluated in RCTs. So far, TFP has not been compared to a control condition which is a crucial step in the evaluation of the efficacy of a psychosocial intervention.

This study is an RCT that compares one year of outpatient TFP to treatment by experienced community psychotherapists for borderline personality disorder.


Sponsor: University Hospital Muenster

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Drop-out [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
    Did not finish one year of treatment.
  • Suicidality (Suicide Attempts) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]


Original Primary Outcome: Remission of borderline personality disorder according to the criteria of DSM-IV. [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Psychosocial Functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning, GAF-Score) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Level of Personality Organization (Structured Interview for Personality Organization, STIPO) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Number of Self-harming Acts [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Self-assessment of Psychopathology (BDI, STAI, BSI) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Attachment Style and Reflective Function (Adult Attachment Interview, AAI) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Borderline Symptomatology (DSM-IV Criteria) [ Time Frame: 1 month ]


Original Secondary Outcome:

  • Psychosocial Functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning, GAF-Score) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Level of Personality Organization (Structured Interview for Personality Organization, STIPO) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Number of suicide attempts [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Number of Self-harming Acts [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Self-assessment of Psychopathology (BDI, STAI, BSI) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
  • Attachment Style and Reflective Function (Adult Attachment Interview, AAI) [ Time Frame: 1 year ]


Information By: University Hospital Muenster

Dates:
Date Received: July 9, 2008
Date Started: October 2004
Date Completion:
Last Updated: February 4, 2015
Last Verified: February 2015