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Child AbusePhase 1PFFNCT00494286

Abuse-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children Who Have Been Physically Abused

A Phase 1 study testing Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT) and Treatment as usual (TAU) in people with Child Abuse, run by University of Pittsburgh at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will determine the effectiveness of abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy that is provided by a community health clinic in addressing the behavioral and emotional health needs of children and adolescents whose parents have used physical disciplinary action. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 5 to 15 years
Conditions the study is for
Child Abuse
What is being tested?
Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT) and Treatment as usual (TAU)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
280 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2006to Jul 2012
Phase
Phase 1
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 5 to 15 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Child is between 5 and 15 years of age
  • Any one of the following child discipline criteria are met within the past 12 months:
  • the parent reports that the child has been the target of physical force/contact (e.g. discipline, punishment),
  • the parent reports that the child has been the target of other acts that place the child at-risk for physical harm/injury (including threats of injury or harm) or
  • an allegation or report of suspected physical abuse of this child was made to child welfare regardless of the outcome;
  • Child and caregiver (preferably, not necessarily, the offending or at-risk caregiver, and regardless of whether they live together currently), will participate in services, and should be able to make progress in the proposed agency services;
  • Parent/legal guardian must agree to informed consent for child and there is no immediate plan for a change in parental rights (e.g., child going to pre-adoptive foster care).

Who cannot join

  • Child or parent is identified by agency staff as exhibiting serious psychological or intellectual impairment that would prevent minimal participation or progress in treatment (e.g., severe drug dependence, active psychosis, or pervasive developmental disorder)
  • Child is in placement without access to a legal guardian who can provide informed consent OR a change in parental rights is likely to occur in the near future

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Bellefield Towers

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15243

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Treatment of Child Physical Abuse: An Effectiveness Trial (PFF)

This study will determine the effectiveness of abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy that is provided by a community health clinic in addressing the behavioral and emotional health needs of children and adolescents whose parents have used physical disciplinary action.

Read the detailed description

Child physical abuse is a common public health problem that has been associated with significant psychosocial and physical health problems among children. Abuse-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (AF-CBT) has been identified as an effective treatment strategy for dealing with child physical abuse. The main component of AF-CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is a type of psychotherapy in which everyday thoughts and behaviors are modified to improve mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety. AF-CBT uses CBT techniques to specifically focus on improving the mental health problems associated with physical abuse. In this study, AF-CBT will incorporate individual and family CBT and will be adapted by community practitioners to maximize its effectiveness in a community health care setting. This study will determine the effectiveness of AF-CBT, provided by a community health clinic, in addressing the behavioral and emotional health needs of children and adolescents whose parents have used physical disciplinary action.

Participants in this study will include practitioners, their supervisors, and their patients. Practitioners will be randomly assigned to provide either treatment as usual (TAU) or the AF-CBT intervention for 3 to 6 months. Patient participants will continue to see their regular practitioner, but will receive the type of treatment to which their practitioner has been assigned. Practitioners who are assigned to TAU will continue to attend training workshops or seminars as a part of their clinics' routine policies and their current personal practices. Practitioners who are assigned to AF-CBT will first receive training in the treatment method. The training curriculum will include a published treatment book, intensive training sessions, which will occur weekly for 8 hours over 4 weeks, handouts that illustrate key therapeutic information and exercises, and ongoing case consultation reviews for 5 months.

Parent and child participants will meet with practitioners at times to be decided based on individual patient needs. All parents and children will be asked to participate in interviews to assess symptoms and outcomes before attending any treatment sessions with the practitioner, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months,and 30 months after baseline. Parents and children will also complete questionnaires each time they meet with the practitioner. This study will also assess the ability of the practitioners and supervisors to carry out AF-CBT.

Conditions
Child Abuse
Being tested
Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT), Treatment as usual (TAU)
Keywords
Abuse Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Effectiveness Research, Treatment Dissemination

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT)Behavioural

    Practitioners will be randomly assigned to provide the AF-CBT treatment for 3 to 6 months. Patient participants will continue to see their regular practitioner, but will receive AF-CBT at treatment visits. Practitioners who are assigned to AF-CBT will first receive training in the treatment method. The training curriculum will include a published treatment book, intensive training sessions, which will occur weekly for 8 hours over 4 weeks, handouts that illustrate key therapeutic information and exercises, and ongoing case consultation reviews for 5 months.

  • Treatment as usual (TAU)Behavioural

    This condition consists of those practitioners in each agency who will not receive study training in AF-CBT. These practitioners will simply provide services as available within their agencies.

Study groups in NCT00494286
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
AF-CBTExperimentalParticipants will receive abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy
Receives: Behavioral: Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT)
TAUActive comparatorParticipants will receive treatment as usual
Receives: Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Family outcomes, including client engagement in service

    Measured: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30

  2. Mental health functioning (symptom improvement, family support, more appropriate parenting practices) and outside service use (social service system contact or child placement/disruption)

    Measured: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30

  3. Child welfare status (recidivism or re-injury rates)

    Measured: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Practitioner knowledge about treatment

    Measured: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30

  2. Practitioner competency and patient's satisfaction with treatment

    Measured: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Jun 2007 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2006
  3. Primary completionJul 2012
  4. Study completionJul 2012

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
280 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00494286
Sponsor's protocol ID
R01MH074737
Other IDs
R01MH074737, DSIR CT-C
Acronym
PFF
Status last verified
Feb 2013
First submitted
27 Jun 2007
Last updated
18 Feb 2013
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Abused-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT) and Treatment as usual (TAU) in people with Child Abuse, run by University of Pittsburgh at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Feb 2013. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Family outcomes, including client engagement in service (time frame: Measured at baseline and Months 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Feb 2013.

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