title: Dialectical behaviour therapy-informed skills training for deliberate self-harm: a controlled trial with 3-month follow-up data.
abstract: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for deliberate self-harm (DSH) and emerging evidence suggests DBT skills training alone may be a useful adaptation of the treatment. DBT skills are presumed to reduce maladaptive efforts to regulate emotional distress, such as DSH, by teaching adaptive methods of emotion regulation. However, the impact of DBT skills training on DSH and emotion regulation remains unclear. This study examined the Living Through Distress (LTD) programme, a DBT-informed skills group provided in an inpatient setting. Eighty-two adults presenting with DSH or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) were offered places in LTD, in addition to their usual care. A further 21 clients on the waiting list for LTD were recruited as a treatment-as-usual (TAU) group. DSH, anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation were assessed at baseline and either post-intervention or 6 week follow-up. Greater reductions in the frequency of DSH and improvements in some aspects of emotion regulation were associated with completion of LTD, as compared with TAU. Improvements in DSH were maintained at 3 month follow-up. This suggests providing a brief intensive DBT-informed skills group may be a useful intervention for DSH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St Patrick's University Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Electronic address: jgibson@stpatsmail.com.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St Patrick's University Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davenport
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St Patrick's University Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Keogh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, St Patrick's University Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Owens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Deliberate self-harm; Dialectical behaviour therapy; Emotional regulation