Violence, DomesticFEMATAMNCT05331352
Attachment Style and Mentalization Impact Among Women Victims of Domestic Violence
A study testing Semi-structured interviews, Projective methode and Selfreported in people with Violence, Domestic, run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
Attachment and mentalization with a population of domestic violence victims Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of domestic violence. Multiform and complex, it affects all backgrounds and all ages. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 20 years and older, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Violence, Domestic
- What is being tested?
- Semi-structured interviews, Projective methode and Selfreported
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2020to 30 Sep 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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 20 years and older
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Women over 20 years old, victims of domestic violence
- With european culture
- Separated from their abusive partner
- Consulting the Legal Medicine Department in Besançon University Hospital
Who cannot join
- Refusal to participate
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
France1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
CHU Besançon
Besançon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 25000
Justine CESARI, Student, 06 16 10 28 98, justinecesari53@hotmail.fr
About this study
Attachment and mentalization with a population of domestic violence victims Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of domestic violence. Multiform and complex, it affects all backgrounds and all ages. According to a survey instituted by the government of Emmanuel Macron, 219,000 women were recognized as victims of domestic violence in 2017. This phenomenon is not without questioning the scientific scene. Also, this study focus on the quality of the attachment because if this bond is insecure, it can constitute a point of vulnerability in self-construction and impact on future relational modalities.
Read the detailed description
The security of the bond of attachment depends on the capacity of the maternal figure, or her substitute, to understand and respond in an adapted and consistent manner to her baby. In addition, it has also been established that when disruptions occur in the security of attachment bond, the quality of mentalization is impacted. But, mentalization is the quality and quantity of psychic representations available to allow someone understanding and thinking about his links to others and to himself. This is an essential asset in the release of situations of violence and in overcoming trauma because it participates in psychic development. That's why this research focuses on early relationships and the quality of mentalization with a cohort of thirty women victims of domestic violence, consultant within the Legal Medicine department of the CHU of Besançon. This research focuses on two groups of subjects: women who managed to get out of violent relationship (15 subjects) and others who did not (15 subjects). The research methodology includes several tools: two projective tests (Rorschach and TAT), ten self-questionnaires (which assess attachment, stress, social support, relational quality with the main attachment figures, the image of the Self-body, quality of mentalization), a clinical research interview and presentation of the AAI. The observation of this population will highlight the impact of the early environment in the psychic construction of the subject and the victim's destiny. Moreover, this study will look at the role of psychotherapeutic follow-up in the quality of mentalization.
- Conditions
- Violence, Domestic
- Being tested
- Semi-structured interviews, Projective methode, Selfreported
- Keywords
- Domestic violence, Attachment, Mentalization, Victimization, Psychic elaboration of the trauma
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Semi-structured interviewsBehavioural
Interview
Projective methodeBehavioural
Rorschach + thematic aperception test
SelfreportedBehavioural
RSQ - PBI - RFQ - QSCPGS - SSQ6 - ÉCHELLES DE CUNGI - STAI - PCL-S - IES-R
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects following a psychotherapy | Experimental | Domestic violence victims following a psychotherapy 15 subjets Aged from 20 to 55 Receives: Behavioral: Semi-structured interviews; Behavioral: Projective methode; Behavioral: Selfreported |
| Subjects unfollowing a psychotherapy | Experimental | Domestic violence victims unfollowing a psychotherapy 15 subjects Aged from 20 to 55 Receives: Behavioral: Semi-structured interviews; Behavioral: Projective methode; Behavioral: Selfreported |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Security of the current attachment
Relationship Scale Questionary (RSQ)
Description : 30 questions Answers : - 5 (not like me at all to) + 5 (very like me)
Cotation :
self-model scale : - 4 to + 4 model of others : - 4 to + 4 positive self-model and positive model of others = secure positive self-model and negative model of others = insecure detached negative self-model and positive model of others = insecure worried negative self-model and negative model of others = insecure fearful
Measured: Month 12
Security of the early attachment
Adult Attachment Interview (AAI : Main, George \& Kaplan, 1984 ; Pierrehumbert et al., 1999)
Description : 20 questions Free answers
Cotation : Edicode, Pierrehumbert Fluidity = 1 to 9 Coherence = 1 to 9 Reflexive = 1 to 9 Authentic = 1 to 9
Scores have to be high
Measured: Month 12
Mentalization
The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ : Fonagy \& al., 2016)
The 8-item RFQ Reflective Functioning Questionnaire comprises two subscales each of 6 items (Uncertainty and Certainty about mental states) The two scales operate with a Likert scale of 7 points that evaluate the degree of agreement of the subject with the sentences presented in each item.
The items of Uncertainty or RFQ_U correspond to statements such as "Often very strong feelings cloud my thinking", they are recorded to detect extreme levels of uncertainty about mental states, in the following way 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, so that high scores reflect hypomentalization.
Scores have to be medium
The items corresponding to Certainty of mental states or RFQ_C contemplate statements such as "When I get angry I say things without really knowing why I say them" which are recorded as 3, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, in such a way that a 6 low degree of agreement reflects Hypermentalization.
Scores have to be medium
Measured: Month 12
Quality of early relationship
Parental Bonding Instrument (G. Parker, H. Tupling and R.B. Brown) Two scales termed 'care' and 'overprotection' or 'control', measure fundamental parental styles as perceived by the child.
25 item questions, including 12 'care' items and 13 'overprotection' items. Likert scale : "very like" (+3) or very dislike (-3).
In addition to generating care and protection scores for each scale, parents can be effectively "assigned" to one of four quadrants:
Mothers : care score = 27.0 / protection score = 13.5. Fathers :care score = 24.0 / protection score = 12.5. High care and high protection means "affectionate constraint". High protection and low care means "affectionless control". High care and low protection means "optimal parenting". Low care and low protection means "neglectful parenting".
Measured: Month 12
Secondary outcomes (1)
PTSD
Cungi's Scale 8 items Subject evaluates the importance for him of each of the items with a rating ranging from 1, very little impact at 6, extremely high impact. Score have to be low
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI : Spielberg, 1983) Measures how the subject feels right now on 40 items with answer choices of 1 = not at all / almost never, 2 = somewhat/sometimes, 3 = moderately so / often, and 4 = very much so / almost always.
Item scores are added to obtain subtest total scores. The score range for each subtest is 20-80, the higher score indicating anxiety. The cut point of 39-40 has been suggested to detect clinically significant symptoms.
Impact of Event Scale Revisited (IES-R : Horowitz, Wilner, \& Alvarez, 1979) 7 additional questions and a scoring range of 0 to 88. Scores that exceed 24 can be quite meaningful 33 and above : PTDS
Measured: Month 12
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Apr 2022
- Study start1 Oct 2020
- Primary completion30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Violence, DomesticStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- First group : women following a psychotherapy Second group : women unfollowing a psychotherapy
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Franche-Comté
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Houari Maïdi, PhD, Study director, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05331352
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2020/546
- Acronym
- FEMATAM
- Status last verified
- Apr 2022
- First submitted
- 4 Oct 2021
- Last updated
- 15 Apr 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Cesari J, Belot RA, Thomas C, Jollivet M, Martin E, Clesse C. Affect regulation, mentalization, and attachment in intimate partner violence survivor women: A quasi-experimental controlled trial. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Oct 30. doi: 10.1037/tra0002047. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 41166191
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Apr 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Attachment Style and Mentalization Impact Among Women Victims of Domestic Violence
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05331352
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FEMATAM / 2020/546
- Conditions
- Violence, Domestic
- Keywords
- Domestic violence, Attachment, Mentalization, Victimization, Psychic elaboration of the trauma
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de BesanconUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Franche-Comté
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2023 (estimated)
- First posted
- 15 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Attachment and mentalization with a population of domestic violence victims Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of domestic violence. Multiform and complex, it affects all backgrounds and all ages. According to a survey instituted by the government of Emmanuel Macron, 219,000 women were recognized as victims of domestic violence in 2017. This phenomenon is not without questioning the scientific scene. Also, this study focus on the quality of the attachment because if this bond is insecure, it can constitute a point of vulnerability in self-construction and impact on future relational modalities.
Detailed description
The security of the bond of attachment depends on the capacity of the maternal figure, or her substitute, to understand and respond in an adapted and consistent manner to her baby. In addition, it has also been established that when disruptions occur in the security of attachment bond, the quality of mentalization is impacted. But, mentalization is the quality and quantity of psychic representations available to allow someone understanding and thinking about his links to others and to himself. This is an essential asset in the release of situations of violence and in overcoming trauma because it participates in psychic development. That's why this research focuses on early relationships and the quality of mentalization with a cohort of thirty women victims of domestic violence, consultant within the Legal Medicine department of the CHU of Besançon. This research focuses on two groups of subjects: women who managed to get out of violent relationship (15 subjects) and others who did not (15 subjects). The research methodology includes several tools: two projective tests (Rorschach and TAT), ten self-questionnaires (which assess attachment, stress, social support, relational quality with the main attachment figures, the image of the Self-body, quality of mentalization), a clinical research interview and presentation of the AAI. The observation of this population will highlight the impact of the early environment in the psychic construction of the subject and the victim's destiny. Moreover, this study will look at the role of psychotherapeutic follow-up in the quality of mentalization.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- First group : women following a psychotherapy Second group : women unfollowing a psychotherapy
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects following a psychotherapy | Experimental | Behavioral: Semi-structured interviews, Behavioral: Projective methode, Behavioral: SelfreportedDomestic violence victims following a psychotherapy 15 subjets Aged from 20 to 55 |
| Subjects unfollowing a psychotherapy | Experimental | Behavioral: Semi-structured interviews, Behavioral: Projective methode, Behavioral: SelfreportedDomestic violence victims unfollowing a psychotherapy 15 subjects Aged from 20 to 55 |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 20 years and older
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Women over 20 years old, victims of domestic violence
- With european culture
- Separated from their abusive partner
- Consulting the Legal Medicine Department in Besançon University Hospital
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Refusal to participate
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-structured interviewsInterview | Behavioural | Subjects following a psychotherapy, Subjects unfollowing a psychotherapy |
| Projective methodeRorschach + thematic aperception test | Behavioural | Subjects following a psychotherapy, Subjects unfollowing a psychotherapy |
| SelfreportedRSQ - PBI - RFQ - QSCPGS - SSQ6 - ÉCHELLES DE CUNGI - STAI - PCL-S - IES-R | Behavioural | Subjects following a psychotherapy, Subjects unfollowing a psychotherapy |
Primary outcome
Security of the current attachment
Time frame: Month 12
Relationship Scale Questionary (RSQ) Description : 30 questions Answers : - 5 (not like me at all to) + 5 (very like me) Cotation : self-model scale : - 4 to + 4 model of others : - 4 to + 4 positive self-model and positive model of others = secure positive self-model and negative model of others = insecure detached negative self-model and positive model of others = insecure worried negative self-model and negative model of others = insecure fearful
Security of the early attachment
Time frame: Month 12
Adult Attachment Interview (AAI : Main, George \& Kaplan, 1984 ; Pierrehumbert et al., 1999) Description : 20 questions Free answers Cotation : Edicode, Pierrehumbert Fluidity = 1 to 9 Coherence = 1 to 9 Reflexive = 1 to 9 Authentic = 1 to 9 Scores have to be high
Mentalization
Time frame: Month 12
The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ : Fonagy \& al., 2016) The 8-item RFQ Reflective Functioning Questionnaire comprises two subscales each of 6 items (Uncertainty and Certainty about mental states) The two scales operate with a Likert scale of 7 points that evaluate the degree of agreement of the subject with the sentences presented in each item. The items of Uncertainty or RFQ_U correspond to statements such as "Often very strong feelings cloud my thinking", they are recorded to detect extreme levels of uncertainty about mental states, in the following way 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, so that high scores reflect hypomentalization. Scores have to be medium The items corresponding to Certainty of mental states or RFQ_C contemplate statements such as "When I get angry I say things without really knowing why I say them" which are recorded as 3, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, in such a way that a 6 low degree of agreement reflects Hypermentalization. Scores have to be medium
Quality of early relationship
Time frame: Month 12
Parental Bonding Instrument (G. Parker, H. Tupling and R.B. Brown) Two scales termed 'care' and 'overprotection' or 'control', measure fundamental parental styles as perceived by the child. 25 item questions, including 12 'care' items and 13 'overprotection' items. Likert scale : "very like" (+3) or very dislike (-3). In addition to generating care and protection scores for each scale, parents can be effectively "assigned" to one of four quadrants: Mothers : care score = 27.0 / protection score = 13.5. Fathers :care score = 24.0 / protection score = 12.5. High care and high protection means "affectionate constraint". High protection and low care means "affectionless control". High care and low protection means "optimal parenting". Low care and low protection means "neglectful parenting".
1 secondary outcome
PTSD
Time frame: Month 12
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Apr 2022.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41166191Cesari J, Belot RA, Thomas C, Jollivet M, Martin E, Clesse C. Affect regulation, mentalization, and attachment in intimate partner violence survivor women: A quasi-experimental controlled trial. Psychol Trauma. 2025 Oct 30. doi: 10.1037/tra0002047. Online ahead of print.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Houari Maïdi, PhD study director
Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Semi-structured interviews, Projective methode and Selfreported in people with Violence, Domestic, run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon at 1 site in France.
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 4 inclusion and 1 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: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Apr 2022. 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 France. 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.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Rose-Angelique Belot, PhD (03 81 66 54 70, rose-angelique.belot@univ-fcomte.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Security of the current attachment (time frame: Month 12). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05331352, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 15 Apr 2022.