Effectiveness of preventive support groups for children (aged 8-12) of mentally ill or addicted parents

A randomized controlled trial of a preventive support group intervention aimed at preventing problem development in children of parents with mental disorder or substance use disorder

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN48032451

Enrollment

228

Registered

2012-01-18

Start date

2007-10-02

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2018-10-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mental health problems in children at risk Mental and Behavioural Disorders Behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence

Interventions

Intervention (support groups) The support groups comprise eight weekly sessions (1.5 hours) and a booster session after 2-3 months for children, one parent session, and a finishing family talk. All se

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Children have at least one parent meeting the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria on Axis I or Axis II or the ICD-10 criteria for a mental disorder or substance use disorder

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Children with a current psychiatric diagnosis 2. Children who received psychological treatment during the last year 3. Children who had already participated in a support group

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Emotional and behavioral problems Measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, filled out by the parent (SDQ) (total problem scale) (0 = no problems, 40 = high problems, 14= Dutch clinical cut-off score) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 2. Child's negative cognitions measured with four self-developed questions regarding experiences of guilt, shame, and loneliness regarding the parental illness (mean score, justified with factor-analysis), filled out by the child (1 = low negative cognitions, 5 = high negative cognitions) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 3. Child's perceived social support Measured with three self-developed questions about the number of people with whom the children: communicate about their own problems, communicate about their ill parent, and undertake leisure activities, filled out by the child (mean score, justified with factor-analysis) (0 = low social support, 14 = high social support) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 4. Child's perceived competence Measured with two subscales of the Dutch version of the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC): social acceptance and global self-worth (both scales: 6 = low perceived competence, 24 = high perceived competence) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 5. Parent-child interaction Measured with the Dutch Parent Child Interaction Questionnaire (OKIV), filled out by the child (total score) (25 = low quality of parent child interaction, 125 = high quality of parent child interaction) at baseline, after three months, and six months.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Emotional and behavioral problems Measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, filled out by the parent (SDQ) (total problem scale) (0 = no problems, 40 = high problems, 14= Dutch clinical cut-off score) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 2. Child's negative cognitions measured with four self-developed questions regarding experiences of guilt, shame, and loneliness regarding the parental illness (mean score, justified with factor-analysis), filled out by the child (1 = low negative cognitions, 5 = high negative cognitions) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 3. Child's perceived social support Measured with three self-developed questions about the number of people with whom the children: communicate about their own problems, communicate about their ill parent, and undertake leisure activities, filled out by the child (mean score, justified with factor-analysis) (0 = low social support, 14 = high social support) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 4. Child's perceived competence Measured with two subscales of the Dutch version of the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC): social acceptance and global self-worth (both scales: 6 = low perceived competence, 24 = high perceived competence) at baseline, after three months, and six months. 5. Parent-child interaction Measured with the Dutch Parent Child Interaction Questionnaire (OKIV), filled out by the child (total score) (25 = low quality of parent child interaction, 125 = high quality of parent child interaction) at baseline, after three months, and six months.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
No secondary outcome measures	—

Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026