NEST - Nurturing Emotional Safety in Trauma-Affected Parenting: A Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Intervention for Parents With ICD-11 Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn whether NEST, a new trauma-informed group therapy program, is feasible and acceptable for parents with Complex PTSD, a condition that can develop after prolonged or repeated traumatic experiences. Parenting can be especially challenging for people with this condition, and few treatment programs currently address this specific need. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the NEST group intervention feasible to deliver and acceptable to parents with Complex PTSD? * Do parents' trauma-related symptoms and their experience of the parenting role change from before to after the intervention? Participants will: * Complete online questionnaires about trauma-related symptoms and parenting before the group therapy, after it ends, and again three months later * Take part in nine weekly 90-minute group therapy sessions, co-led by a member of the study team and a mental health professional from the treatment site * Some participants will additionally be invited to a short interview about their experience with the group therapy
NEST (Nurturing Emotional Safety in Trauma-Affected Parenting) is a single-arm, multicenter pilot feasibility and acceptability study of a newly developed, manualized trauma-informed parenting group intervention for parents with ICD-11 Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). The 9-session group intervention addresses core parenting-related challenges associated with CPTSD, including self-concept and self-efficacy as a parent, emotion regulation within the parent-child relationship, setting boundaries, regulating closeness and distance in the parent-child relationship, and age-appropriate communication with children about the parent's diagnosis. Sessions are trauma-sensitive but not trauma-focused; traumatic memories themselves are not processed within the group. Each group is closed, comprises 6-8 participants, and is co-led by a member of the sponsor's (OST) study team together with a trained psychologist/psychotherapist affiliated with the respective treatment site. The study is conducted at two clinical sites, the Psychiatric Services Aargau (PDAG) and the Integrated Psychiatry Winterthur (ipw). At each clinical site, the NEST group therapy forms part of participants' regular clinical care and is billed via mandatory health insurance; study-specific procedures are conducted separately by the OST study team. These study-specific procedures consist of self-report questionnaires completed by all participants and a semi-structured qualitative interview completed by a subset of participants after completing the group therapy, to explore their experience of the intervention in greater depth.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of CPTSD according to ICD-11, confirmed by the treating psychotherapist or psychiatrist * Caregiver of at least one child aged 0-18 years (including biological, adoptive, step-, or foster parents and other primary caregivers) * Currently receiving individual psychotherapeutic treatment (outpatient or inpatient setting) * Age 18 years or older * Sufficient German language proficiency to participate in group sessions and complete study questionnaires * Ability to provide written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria: * Current acute psychosis or severe psychiatric instability requiring immediate intensive treatment * Severe cognitive impairment or inability to participate adequately in group-based procedures * No current contact with the child * Insufficient German language proficiency
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