CFT for reducing psychological distress in antenatal women
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Compassion-Focused Therapy for individuals with antenatal mental health difficulties: A Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design
IRAS ID
235605
Contact name
David Dawson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Lincoln
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Title: Compassion-Focused Therapy for individuals with antenatal mental health difficulties: A Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design.
Pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood are commonly associated with high levels of anxiety and stress (Almond, 2005), even without clinical symptoms of mental illness accompanying this period. Women experiencing perinatal mental illness may be at high risk of psychological and physical complications, which may also impact upon the infant’s well-being (Stein et al., 2001). Perinatal mental health difficulties affect between 10-20% of women in the United Kingdom (UK) during pregnancy and in the weeks or months following childbirth (Bauer, Personage, Knapp, Iemmi, & Adelaja, 2015).
Evidence is increasing in support of compassion-based approaches and their association with positive outcomes (Barnard & Curry, 2011; Gilbert, 2010; Gilbert & Procter, 2006; Hofmann, Grossman, & Hinton, 2011), including randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in supporting effectiveness for perinatal women (Kelman et al., 2016). However, no studies have been published examining how CFT works as an intervention, particularly for antenatal women. Therefore, this study aims to inform clinical practise by using a Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design (HSCED) to answer the following questions:1.Is there evidence of psychological change after the introduction of the CFT intervention?
2.If present, are the changes attributable to (a) CFT components, (b) common factors, and/or (c) non-therapeutic factors?The study will involve recruiting three female adults with antenatal mental health disorders from community perinatal NHS services. Each participant will have six individual sessions of CFT (following one session to complete measures) and will complete psychometric questionnaires before, after, and during sessions. The participant will also attend a face-to-face Change Interview. Following the intervention, participants will have a semi-structured interview where their views of the therapy and any changes made will be explored.
Four outcome measures will be posted to participants at their homes at 1-month and 3-month post intervention, if time allows.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0076
Date of REC Opinion
12 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion