MBT for socially isolated older adults with personality disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mixed methods pilot study exploring the feasibility, acceptability and potential benefits to Mentalisation Based Treatment for Older Adults with Complex Emotional Needs
IRAS ID
341968
Contact name
Luke Jordan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
ISRCTN42639791, ISRCTN
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study will aim to determine whether Mentalisation Based Treatment is acceptable or feasible as a treatment for older people with personality disorders. It will also determine if there are any potential benefits to MBT for older people. MBT is a psychological treatment for adults with personality disorder - it has been found to be effective in younger populations, but has not yet been studied in older clients.
The study involves a recruiting small pool of participants (10-14) from an existing treatment pathway who will complete a full, adherent programme of MBT. Each person will be asked to fill out empirically validated questionnaires weekly, over the course of an 18 month intervention.
The nature of the study design is such that each participant is compared with their own baseline. Power for the study is generated by comparing trends in the baseline and treatment phase for each participant.
Participants will be recruited from an existing older adult MBT service. If they choose to opt out of the study, they will still receive MBT treatment for 18 months.
To learn more about MBT, participants will be interviewed at the beginning and end of the study. The theoretical framework of acceptability will be used to design the questions asked in the interview, and the data will be analsyed using framework analysis.
Feasibility of MBT will be determined by analysing the recruitment rate, drop-out rate, and completion rate of the participants.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/NW/0035
Date of REC Opinion
19 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion