Background
Depression in adolescents seems to be a growing problem that causes mental suffering and prevents young people from joining the workforce. There is also a high risk of relapse during adult life.
There is emerging evidence on the effect of psychodynamic psychotherapy for adolescents. In-session relational intervention (that is, transference intervention) is a key component of psychodynamic psychotherapy. However, whether depressed adolescents profit most from psychodynamic psychotherapy with or without transference interventions has not been investigated.
Objective
To explore the effect of transference interventions for adolescents with a major depressive disorder and the potential moderator effects of quality of object relations, personality disorder and gender. We hope that the study will add more specific knowledge to the evidence base and contribute to the improvement of future treatments for this group.
Methods and study design
FEST-IT is a randomized clinical trial with a dismantling design inspired by the FEST-study. One hundred patients aged 16 to 18 years will be randomized to one of two treatment groups. Both groups will be treated with general psychodynamic techniques over 28 weeks. One group will receive a moderate level of transference intervention and the other group no transference intervention. Follow-up will be 1 year after treatment termination.
The outcome measures will be the Psychodynamic Functioning Scales (PFS), Inventory of Interpersonal Problems–Circumplex Version (IIP-C), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and the total mean score of Symptom Checklist–90 (Global Severity Index; GSI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Montgomery Åsberg Rating Scale (MADRS).
The quality of adolescents’ relationships will be a central focus of the study, and the Adolescent Relationship Scales (ARS) and Differentiation–Relatedness Scale (DRS) will also be used. Change will be assessed using linear-mixed models. Gender, personality disorder (PD) and quality of object relations (QOR) will be the preselected potential moderators since these variables were found to have moderating effects for adults in the FEST-study.
Publications
- PhD: Ness, Elisabeth, Measuring psychodynamic process and change in psychotherapy, 2019.
- PhD: Løvgren, Andrè. Improvement and positions in psychodynamic psychotherapy: A qualitative exploration of adolescents’ and adult patients’ experiences, 2022.
Svela, Eirik Wixøe; Korsgaard, Hans Ole; Stänicke, Line Indrevoll & Ulberg, Randi (2022). Inter-Rater Reliability of the Structured Interview of DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV) in an Adolescent Outpatient Population . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912283. Full text in Research Archive
Malkomsen, Anders; Røssberg, Jan Ivar; Dammen, Toril; Wilberg, Theresa; Løvgren, André; Ulberg, Randi & Evensen, Julie Horgen (2022). How therapists in cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapy reflect upon the use of metaphors in therapy: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry. ISSN 1471-244X. 22(1). doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04083-y. Full text in Research Archive
Korsgaard, Hans Ole; Ulberg, Randi; Hummelen, Benjamin; Midgley, Nick; Thorén, Agneta & Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen (2022). Personality Disorders as a Possible Moderator of the Effects of Relational Interventions in Short-Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with Depressed Adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19(17). doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710952.
Brøsholen, Pernille; Ulberg, Randi; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen & Thorén, Agneta (2022). Therapists’ Emotional Responses in Individual Therapy with Depressed Adolescents: An Evaluation of the Data Structure of the Feeling-Word Checklist—28. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19(15). doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159496. Full text in Research Archive
Fahs, Sarah Christine; Ulberg, Randi; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen & Høglend, Per Andreas (2022). Parental Bonding and Relationships with Friends and Siblings in Adolescents with Depression. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19(11). doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116530. Full text in Research Archive
Schønning, Thea; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen ; Hummelen, Benjamin & Ulberg, Randi (2022). Do Sleep Disturbances Improve Following Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Adolescent Depression? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031790. Full text in Research Archive
Ulberg, Randi; Hummelen, Benjamin; Hersoug, Anne Grete; Midgley, Nick; Høglend, Per Andreas & Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen (2021). The first experimental study of transference work-in teenagers (FEST-IT): a multicentre, observer- and patient-blind, randomised controlled component study. BMC Psychiatry. ISSN 1471-244X. 21(1). doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03055-y. Full text in Research Archive
Fredum, Hanne Gotaas; Rost, Felicitas; Ulberg, Randi; Midgley, Nick; Thorén, Agneta; Aker, Julie Frederikke Dalen; Johansen, Hanna Fam; Sandvand, Lena; Tosterud, Lina & Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen (2021). Psychotherapy dropout: Using the Adolescent Psychotherapy Q-Set to explore the early in-session Process of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology. ISSN 1664-1078. 12, p. 1–18. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708401. Full text in Research Archive
Henriksen, Arne K; Ulberg, Randi; Tallberg, Björn Peter Urban; Løvgren, André & Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen (2021). Conflicted anger as a central dynamic in depression in adolescents—a double case study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 18(12), p. 1–20. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126466. Full text in Research Archive
Siegel, Marte Langenes; Binder, Eva Mathilde Gullestad; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen ; Czajkowski, Nikolai Olavi; Critchfield, Kenneth L.; Høglend, Per Andreas & Ulberg, Randi (2020). Therapeutic Atmosphere in Psychotherapy Sessions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 17(11). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17114105. Full text in Research Archive
Tallberg, Björn Peter Urban; Ulberg, Randi; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen & Høglend, Per Andreas (2020). Core conflictual relationship theme: the reliability of a simplified scoring procedure. BMC Psychiatry. ISSN 1471-244X. 20. doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02558-4. Full text in Research Archive
Jones, Maria-Helene; Råbu, Marit; Røssberg, Jan Ivar & Ulberg, Randi (2020). Therapists’ experiences of psychodynamic therapy with and without transference interventions for adolescents with depression. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 17(13), p. 1–18. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134628. Full text in Research Archive
Løvgren, André; Røssberg, Jan Ivar; Engebretsen, Eivind & Ulberg, Randi (2020). Improvement in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Depression: A Qualitative Study of the Patients’ Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 17(18). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186843.
Løvgren, André; Røssberg, Jan Ivar; Nilsen, Liv; Engebretsen, Eivind & Ulberg, Randi (2019). How do adolescents with depression experience improvement in psychodynamic psychotherapy? A qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry. ISSN 1471-244X. 19. doi: 10.1186/s12888-019-2080-0. Full text in Research Archive
Ness, Elisabeth; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen ; Critchfield, Kenneth L. & Ulberg, Randi (2018). Exploring In-Session Process with Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Psychotherapy with an Adolescent. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy (JICAP). ISSN 1528-9168. 17(4), p. 310–327. doi: 10.1080/15289168.2018.1526021.
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Hersoug, Anne Grete; ULBERG, RANDI & Høglend, Per Andreas (2014). When Is Transference Work Useful in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy? Main Results of the First Experimental Study of Transference Work (FEST). Contemporary psychoanalysis. ISSN 0010-7530. 50(1-2), p. 156–174. doi: 10.1080/00107530.2014.880314.
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Ulberg, Randi; Falkenberg, Anette Aardal; Nærdal, Taran Buran; Johannessen, Heidi; Olsen, Janne Elisabeth; Klokseth Eide, Trine; Hersoug, Anne Grete & Dahl, Hanne Sofie (2013). Countertransference feelings when treating teenagers. A psychometric evaluation of the Feeling Word Checklist-24. American Journal of Psychotherapy. ISSN 0002-9564. 67(4), p. 347–358. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2013.67.4.347.
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