Rationale: Given the longstanding consequences of personality disorders (PD), the focus in the field has recently switched to prevention and early intervention of personality pathology. Although there is increasing evidence for the benefits of some specialist psychotherapeutic approaches, their widespread dissemination is hampered by high training demands. The primary aim of GIT-PD Youth is to prevent personality pathology to having a major impact on the development of adolescents by designing a pathway for early detection and generalist intervention based on the common factors of these evidence-based treatments. In the long term, the ultimate goal may be to help closing the treatment gap for adolescents with emerging PDs by offering an alternative and accessible frontline PD-oriented treatment.
Objective: The current study presents a preparational feasibility study. Its aim is to assess feasibility of the GIT-PD Youth intervention on the one hand, and to assess the feasibility of a multicentre research design on the other hand. More specifically, we will study the feasibility of the intervention itself by studying its acceptability by young persons and families in terms of treatment retention and client satisfaction, and by estimating potential treatment benefits following the intervention. This study will be conducted at de Viersprong (Bergen op Zoom), Karakter (Nijmegen/Arnhem), Jeugd GGz (Deventer), Altrecht (Utrecht) and De Opvoedpoli (Amsterdam), five mental health care centres for young people with emerging mental health problems.