The Personal Concerns Inventory Study (PCI) (PCI)

The Addition of a Goal-based Motivational Interview to Standardised Treatment as Usual to Reduce Dropouts From a Service for Patients With Personality Disorder: A Feasibility Study

Services for people with personality disorders are challenged by how to engage clients in therapy. High non-completion rates have major cost-efficiency implications, but more worrying is that drop-out may be associated with negative outcomes for clients. The investigators have developed a motivational intervention that helps people focus on their valued and attainable life goals and consider how therapy could help with goal attainment.One way to improve retention in treatment is to deliver pre-therapy motivational preparation interviews. The primary aim of our proposed research is to gather information to determine whether a randomised controlled trial of a goal-based motivational intervention is feasible in a community personality disorder treatment service.

The investigators aim to work with community adults with personality disorder. Referrals to Nottinghamshire NHS Trust's community personality disorder service will be eligible for inclusion. After initial assessment for suitability for the service, patients will be randomised to receive the motivational interview plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual only. The investigators aim to recruit 100 participants over 1½ years. The comparison is between a motivational intervention called the Personal Concerns Inventory plus treatment as usual and and treatment as usual only in the client preparation phase. The feasibility measures are (1) the recruitment rate to a goal-based motivational interview plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual only, and (2) the acceptability of the intervention to clients and therapists. The investigators will also develop measures to assess the processes by which the intervention may have an effect, and assess the cost of the intervention compared with treatment as usual.

Participants randomised to this group will receive the goal based motivational interview - Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) in addition to treatment as usual.

Participants randomly allocated to this group will receive treatment as usual only, ie no specific motivational intervention.

This is a pre-treatment, goal-based motivational interview which helps to patients identify their life goals, and goal-value. The interview will last approximately 2 hours and will be carried out face to face with a therapist across one or two sessions.

A randomised controlled trial will be considered feasible if the recruitment rate to the project is 54% of all referrals (95% CI 54-64).

80% of clients find the intervention acceptable in terms of its practicability and usefulness (95% CI 80-91)

This is a therapist rating scale with items addressing the client's participation, constructive use of sessions, opennness, efforts to change, making sacrifices, goal directedness, and reflection.

Inclusion Criteria: Referred to the Nottinghamshire Personality Disorder and Development Network Opted to attend group sessions within the Nottinghamshire Personality Disorder and Development Network Aged 18 or over. Proficiency in spoken English Capacity to provide valid informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Currently enrolled in another trial

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