title: Adapted Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents with Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore clinical changes observed in suicidal adolescents treated with an adapted form of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for adolescents (A-DBT-A) in a tertiary care setting. We conducted an open-label naturalistic study including 61 adolescents with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and associated features of borderline personality disorder, who underwent a 15-week course of A-DBT-A. Pre- and post-treatment measures were administered, the primary outcome being the total score on the Suicidal Ideas Questionnaire. Self-harm, symptoms of borderline personality disorder, resiliency measures, predictors of response, and predictors of attrition were also explored. Among participants who completed post-treatment measures, we found a significant reduction in suicidal ideation (n = 31, p < 0.001). Secondary outcomes also suggested improvement. Baseline substance use predicted attrition (HR 2.51; 95% CI 1.03-6.14; p < 0.05), as did baseline impulsivity score on the Life Problems Inventory (HR 1.03; 95% CI 1.004-1.06; p < 0.05). Overall, we observed clinical improvements in adolescents receiving A-DBT-A.
authors.affiliation: *Concurrent Youth Inpatient Unit, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto; and †Youth Unit, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Darren B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Courtney
authors.forename: Martine F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Flament
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009864:Ontario; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires