First Experimental Study of Transference Work - In Teenagers (FEST-IT)

Overview

The First Experimental Study on Transference work - In Teenagers (FEST-IT) will be a randomized clinical trial, which will be designed to explore effects of transference work in dynamic psychotherapy in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). The design of the study is a so-called dismantling design, in which a single component is added and/or varied to an existent treatment method (psychodynamic psychotherapy). Thus, the efficiency of a specific technique (transference interventions) can be identified. The primary hypothesis is that the transference group may have a more favorable course over time than will the comparison group. The second hypothesis is that patients with a history of low Quality of Object Relations score and/or personality disorders-might benefit more from therapy with transference work than from therapy without. The third hypothesis is that female adolescents may have better treatment effect of transference work than male adolescents.

The effect of transference interventions in depressed adolescents and the moderator moderating effect of quality of object relations, personality disorder and gender will be explored. Methods and study design: The First Experimental Study of Transference Work-In Teenagers (FEST-IT) will be a randomized clinical trial with a dismantling design. The study is aimed to explore the effects of transference work in psychodynamic psychotherapy for adolescents with depression. One hundred patients ages 16 to 18 years old will be randomized to one of two treatment groups, in both of which general psychodynamic techniques will be used. The quality of adolescents' relationships will be a central focus of the study.The patients will be treated over 28 weeks with either a moderate level of transference intervention or no transference intervention. Follow-up will be at 1 year after treatment termination. Gender personality disorder (PD) and quality of object relations (QOR) will be the preselected moderators. The object of this clinical trial is to explore the effect of transference interventions in psychodynamic psychotherapy in adolescents with a major depressive disorder. Using a randomized and dismantling design, we hope that the study will add more specific knowledge to the evidence base.