The Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy in the Treatment of Borderline Symptoms in Adolescents

NCT06606002 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: T1709/2024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 64
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized and controlled trial is to assess the effectiveness of group schema therapy in the treatment of adolescents with borderline symptoms. The intervention utilizes self-recorded video material as an experiential method. The intervention comprises 30 group sessions and 8 individual sessions. Additionally, there are group sessions for the participants' parents. Participants in the control group receive treatment as usual.

Conditions

Borderline Symptoms; Borderline Personality Disorder

Keywords

adolescents; borderline disorder; schema therapy; randomized controlled study

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Borderline Symptom List - Short version

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form 2 -Extended

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

• Schema Mode Inventory

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

• Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

• General Anxiety Disorder-7

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Group schema therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

The group schema therapy intervention includes 30 group sessions and 8 individual sessions for the participants, and 9 group sessions for the participants' parents.

Behavioral: Group schema therapy

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Treatment as usual

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Interventions

Group schema therapy BEHAVIORAL

Group schema therapy based on the model by Farrell and Shaw, which is complemented with separate group sessions for the participants\' parents

Group schema therapy

Treatment as Usual (TAU) BEHAVIORAL

TAU typically comprises visits at the outpatient clinic with variable frequency and content

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• The participant fulfills at least three diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder as assessed by means of the SCID-II structured clinical interview
• The participant and the participant's parent(s) are able to commit to the research protocol for the entire duration of the study
• The participant is able to participate in a research intervention in Finnish and fill out the study questionnaires in Finnish

You may not qualify if:

• The participant currently has psychotic symptoms or a serious risk of suicide
• The participant has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder
• The main clinical diagnosis of the participant is a substance abuse disorder or substance use would endanger commitment to the research intervention
• The participant has another illness or symptom that endangers the participant's ability to complete the study
• The participant receives some other treatment specifically aimed at borderline personality disorder symptoms

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Turku University Hospital: lead
• University of Turku: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Turku University Hospital

Turku, Southwest Finland, 20700, Finland

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Interventions

Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personality Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Max Karukivi, MD, PhD

  University of Turku

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Max Karukivi, MD, PhD

CONTACT

+358 2 313 0000; max.karukivi@utu.fi

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 18, 2024
• First Posted: September 20, 2024
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2029
• Last Updated: September 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FI (1)