Parents' RF

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    An exploration of parents’ reflective functioning and their view of themselves and their young child pre and post-treatment: a mixed method study.

  • IRAS ID

    242538

  • Contact name

    Jane Lowe

  • Contact email

    jlowe@tavi-port.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 3 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Research Question/Aims

    Primary aim
    To explore qualitatively whether parents’ thoughts and feelings about themselves and their young child changes as part of a brief psychoanalytically informed treatment.

    Secondary aim
    To test quantitatively whether these parents show changes in reflective functioning as measured with the Reflective Function Questionnaire (RFQ 54).

    Background

    This proposed research intends to bring together two areas of previous mental health research:

    1.Brief Intervention Project (BIP). A time-limited psychoanalytically informed treatment for parents who present with difficulties with their young child. There is currently no published research other than single case studies using the BIP model.

    2.Parental reflective function. A parent’s capacity to hold its child’s ‘mind in mind’ has, across many studies, been an important indicator of good outcomes for children.

    Eligibility

    All parents whose child has been referred to the under 5s service at Kensington & Chelsea CAMHS service and who consent to take part and agree: to be interviewed pre and post-treatment, to complete the RFQ 51 pre and post-treatment and access to routinely obtained data collected by the Under 5s service.

    The under 5s service offers a time-limited, 6 sessions, psychoanalytically informed treatment for parents who present with difficulties with their young child.

    Sampling technique will be ‘at random’ from the start of the designated 6 month period until 8 parents’ consent to take part in the research.

    Participants undergo

    2 semi-structured interviews, 1 pre and 1 post-treatment
    2 brief questionnaires (RFQ 54) 1 pre and 1 post-treatment. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.
    Consent to the use of information routinely obtained as part of treatment. This is information on forms or questionnaires used by the under 5s service and will also include information such as age, gender, ethnicity.

  • REC name

    London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    18/LO/0795

  • Date of REC Opinion

    14 Jun 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion