A Mentalization-based Intervention for Children of Parent(s) With Borderline Personality Disorder

Background and study aims? Parents with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can present parenting difficulties such as expressions of hostility, low sensitivity, and overprotection. These parenting problems are associated with adverse outcomes for the offspring, namely, borderline features, depression, internalizing and externalizing problems, and interpersonal difficulties. Intervention studies with parent(s) who have borderline personality disorder show promising results regarding the improvement of parenting skills and parent-infant relationship. However, very few assess their effect on child's mental health and development. This study aims to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a mentalization-based clinical intervention, directed to school-aged children of mothers and/or fathers with borderline personality disorder, to reduce child mental health problems, in the short- and medium-term. Who can participate? School-aged children (5 to 12 years of age), with mental health problems (CBCL internalizing and/or externalizing scores must be T = 60 or above), and their mothers and/or fathers (\> 18 years of age) with subclinical or clinical BPD. What does the study involve? Mother and/or father with BPD complete an online survey and an online interview. If available, the other parent and the child's teacher complete an online survey, separately. The child completes an online task with a researcher's assistance. After, participants are assigned to an intervention group (one arm, pre-posttest study). Participants receive a mentalization-based treatment for children (MBT-C), starting one week after the pre-test. MBT-C is a psychological intervention designed to resolve the child's mental health problems and promote resilience by promoting the child's and parent's mentalizing capacities. It aims to be delivered by a mental healthcare professional trained in MBT-C. In this clinical trial MBT-C will be composed of: 3 assessment session