Mindful Compassion for Perfectionism

NCT ID: NCT05700786

Last Updated: 2024-04-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

76 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-10-05

Study Completion Date

2023-12-15

Brief Summary

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The aim of this study is to confirm the feasibility of an integrative form of group psychotherapy in treating perfectionism. In a previous pilot study we suggested that this new treatment is safe and feasible, also reporting a significant reduction of perfectionism at final assessment. The intervention integrates the Paul Hewitt relational model of perfectionism and the Paul Gilbert Compassion Focused Therapy. We will explore the feasibility of the proposed group therapy through a three-arm waiting-list randomized controlled trial. Our hypothesis is that those in the treatment groups (either online or in presence format) will show at the end of the intervention a lower level of perfectionsm than those in the control group.

Detailed Description

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After being informed about the study and potential risks, all partecipants giving written informed consent will undergo a psychological assessment so as to determine eligibility for study entry. Patients who meet the eligibility requirements will be randomized in a double-blind manner in a 1:1 ratio to (i) new integrative group psychotherapy through an in presence format, (ii) the same integrative group psychotherapy through an online format, (iii) a waiting-list control group. At the end of active experimental groups treatment (2 months), all the partecipants will have access to the final follow-up assessment.

Conditions

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Perfectionism

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Pragmatic waiting-list randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Investigators Outcome Assessors
The study design reflects an external, third-party evaluation. The evaluation team (i.e. the researcers conducting the analysis) will be independent from both the application vendor (i.e. the therapists conducting the intervention) and the recruitment team (i.e. the researchers recruiting and randomly allocating the participants).

Study Groups

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Control Group

The control group is made up of participants who are eligible but not assigned to the treatment. For ethical reasons they will be able to access the intervention once the experimental group has concluded the study. During the waiting-list phase, participants can access a mental health intervention, but in this case they are excluded from the study. Participants are told that there is only one possible active group and therefore a waiting-list is created. This explanation is given to reduce a worsening symptom bias for feeling "excluded" from treatment.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Experimental Group 1 - Online Format

The experimental intervention is an integrative mindful compassion group therapy as manualized by Cheli, Cavalletti, Flett \& Hewitt (2020). The structure was outlined on the base of standard mindfulness-based interventions, comprising eight 2-hour online group sessions and one day of silence lasting 4 hours. The contents and the phases of the intervention were rooted in two different frameworks. On the one hand, the sequence of and the types of practices were defined in accordance with the mindful compassion protocol (Gilbert \& Choden, 2014). On the other hand, the shared conceptualization of perfectionism and its role in triggering, maintaining, and inducing relapses in personality disoders was proposed through the relational model by Hewitt and colleagues (2017). The hybrid format (online weekly sessions plus an in presence half-day of silence) has been developed in accordance with existing COViD-19 emergency and rules.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Mindful compassion for perfectionism

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is a 8-week group psychotherapy in a hybrid format: 8 weekly online sessions lasting 2 hours plus an in presence half-day of silence lasting 4 hours.

Experimental Group 2 - Online Format

The experimental intervention is an integrative mindful compassion group therapy as manualized by Cheli, Cavalletti, Flett \& Hewitt (2020). The structure was outlined on the base of standard mindfulness-based interventions, comprising eight 2-hour in presence group sessions and one day of silence lasting 4 hours in presence. The contents and the phases of the intervention were rooted in two different frameworks. On the one hand, the sequence of and the types of practices were defined in accordance with the mindful compassion protocol (Gilbert \& Choden, 2014). On the other hand, the shared conceptualization of perfectionism and its role in triggering, maintaining, and inducing relapses in personality disoders was proposed through the relational model by Hewitt and colleagues (2017).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Mindful compassion for perfectionism

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is a 8-week group psychotherapy in a hybrid format: 8 weekly online sessions lasting 2 hours plus an in presence half-day of silence lasting 4 hours.

Interventions

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Mindful compassion for perfectionism

The intervention is a 8-week group psychotherapy in a hybrid format: 8 weekly online sessions lasting 2 hours plus an in presence half-day of silence lasting 4 hours.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Being aged between 18 and 30
* Reporting at least a clinically significant value at Multidimensional Perfectionsm Scale (at least one of the dimensions must have scores equal to or greater than the clinical population mean of the questionnaire manual)

Exclusion Criteria

* Being diagnosed with neurodevelopmental or schizophrenia/psychosis spetrum disoders;
* Being under either psychiatric or psychological treatment
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

30 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Tages Onlus

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Simone Cheli, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Tages Onlus

Paul L Hewitt, PhD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

British Columbia University

Gil Goldzweig, PhD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo

Locations

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Centro di Psicologia e Psicoterapia Tages Onlus - Firenze

Florence, FI, Italy

Site Status

Countries

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Italy

References

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Cheli S, Cavalletti V, Flett GL, Hewitt PL. Mindful compassion for perfectionism in personality disorders: A pilot acceptability and feasibility study. BPA - Applied Psychology Bulletin (Bollettino di Psicologia Applicata). 2020; 68(287): 55-65. https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.287.5

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Hewitt PL, Mikail SF, Dang SS, Kealy D, Flett GL. Dynamic-relational treatment of perfectionism: An illustrative case study. J Clin Psychol. 2020 Nov;76(11):2028-2040. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23040. Epub 2020 Aug 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33245562 (View on PubMed)

Hewitt PL, Qiu T, Flynn CA, Flett GL, Wiebe SA, Tasca GA, Mikail SF. Dynamic-relational group treatment for perfectionism: Informant ratings of patient change. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2020 Jun;57(2):197-205. doi: 10.1037/pst0000229. Epub 2019 May 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31107049 (View on PubMed)

Hewitt PL, Smith MM, Deng X, Chen C, Ko A, Flett GL, Paterson RJ. The perniciousness of perfectionism in group therapy for depression: A test of the perfectionism social disconnection model. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2020 Jun;57(2):206-218. doi: 10.1037/pst0000281. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31999191 (View on PubMed)

Smith MM, Sherry SB, Ray C, Hewitt PL, Flett GL. Is perfectionism a vulnerability factor for depressive symptoms, a complication of depressive symptoms, or both? A meta-analytic test of 67 longitudinal studies. Clin Psychol Rev. 2021 Mar;84:101982. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101982. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33556805 (View on PubMed)

Gilbert P. Compassion: From Its Evolution to a Psychotherapy. Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 9;11:586161. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33362650 (View on PubMed)

Gilbert P. Evolution and depression: issues and implications. Psychol Med. 2006 Mar;36(3):287-97. doi: 10.1017/S0033291705006112. Epub 2005 Oct 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16236231 (View on PubMed)

Petrocchi N, Dentale F, Gilbert P. Self-reassurance, not self-esteem, serves as a buffer between self-criticism and depressive symptoms. Psychol Psychother. 2019 Sep;92(3):394-406. doi: 10.1111/papt.12186. Epub 2018 Jun 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29907988 (View on PubMed)

McEwan K, Gilbert P. A pilot feasibility study exploring the practising of compassionate imagery exercises in a nonclinical population. Psychol Psychother. 2016 Jun;89(2):239-43. doi: 10.1111/papt.12078. Epub 2015 Oct 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26454144 (View on PubMed)

GILBERT, P. & CHODEN, K. (2014). Mindful compassion: How the science of compassion can help you understand your emotions, live in the present, and connect deeply with others. New Harbinger Publications.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

HEWITT, P.L., FLETT, G.L. & MIKAIL, S.F. (2017). Perfectionism: A relational approach to conceptualization, assessment, and treatment. New York:The Guilford Press.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

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MCP-2022

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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