Using Mentalization Based Therapy to Support Children and Adolescents Referred to Specialist Mental Health Services in the NHS for Aggressive and/or Violent Behaviour

Summary

The MICA Study is a research project that has been designed to work out how helpful mentalisation based therapy is. This is a new type of support that helps young people make sense of their own behaviours and feelings, and those of others. It involves meeting regularly with a mental health practitioner and parents/carers can be involved in some meetings too. It is hoped that this new type of support will help young people stop acting aggressively/violently.

This project will be delivered in Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (FCAMHS) in England. This service supports some of the most vulnerable young people in the country, who may also have involvement from other professionals including the Youth Justice System.

The aim of the research is to make the support better for young people who use these services. This research involves doing a randomised controlled trial. This means half the young people will get the usual support from FCAMHS, and half will get the usual support plus the new support. The results will be used to compare mentalisation based therapy to the support FCAMHS usually provides. This will show the best way to support young people with their aggressive/violent behaviours.

To start with, young people will answer a questionnaire. Following this, young people will receive either usual support or usual support plus MBT for six months. After this, young people will answer a questionnaire again. Some young people will be asked to take part in an optional interview to share their thoughts on this research. All young people aged 10-17 years who have been referred to a FCAMHS in England will be asked to take part, as long as they can speak and understand English. Some young people might not want to take part in this research and that will not change the support they receive.

Conditions

• Conduct Disorder
• Mentalization Based Therapy
• Violent Behavior
• Aggressive Behaviour
• Adolescent Behavior
• Children Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mentalization based therapy (MBT)

Mentalization based therapy for conduct disorder

OTHER

Support as usual

Support usually provided by FCAMHS which may include advice/guidance to the professional network around the child/adolescent, psychoeducation, other mental health treatment e.g. CBT

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Hertfordshire

  collaborator OTHER

• Anna Freud

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-03

Primary Completion

2027-06-30

Completion

2027-06-30

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations