BFT with People with Learning Disabilities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Behavioural Family Therapy with People with Learning Disabilities: A Feasibility Study
IRAS ID
137078
Contact name
Gillian Anderson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
R&D Department Monklands Hospital
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 20 days
Research summary
Research shows that family members who support people with mental health problems are more likely to experience stress. There is some evidence to suggest that a psychological therapy called Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT), can reduce distress for people with mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, and reduce stress within their family. Current guidelines on the treatment of schizophrenia recommend that individuals and their families are offered family therapy.
BFT has been used for people with learning disabilities who have additional mental health problems or challenging behaviour. To date this intervention has been evaluated as part of routine clinical practice although there has been a published case study series which reported reduction in caregiver strain (Ferris and Marshall, 2012). However, at present there has not been any large scale evaluation of the effectiveness of BFT for people with learning disabilities and their families.
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. This study will evaluate the feasibility of running a larger piece of research to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. This study aims to answer the following questions;
Can we recruit participants?
How many are excluded and why?
How many participants drop out, when do they drop out and why?
How many participants complete the intervention and after how many sessions do they complete it?
What do the therapists think about BFT?
What do the participants think about BFT?
Can the intended trial be done?
In appropriate cases, people with Learning Disabilities and their families in NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries & Galloway are currently offered BFT as part of their usual clinical treatment. BFT is usually provided within the family home by two BFT practitioners.
There is very limited existing evidence for this intervention at present; however, this limited evidence does indicate that the intervention will be a potentially effective treatment for this population. Further, robust evidence is imperative for development in this area. It is thought that this intervention could vastly improve client care and outcomes in line with the government’s requirements and targets in this area.REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
15/ES/0011
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion