A Preliminary Pilot Study Comparing Dialectical Behavior Therapy Emotion Regulation Skills with Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills and a Control Group Treatment

This pilot study examined the effects of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) emotion regulation (ER) skills training for borderline personality disorder (BPD). To date, studies have yet to reveal whether specific DBT skill modules uniquely improve ER problems - one of the putative factors considered to underlie clinical problems in BPD. This preliminary examination aimed to characterize the effect sizes of DBT-ER compared to DBT interpersonal effectiveness (DBT-IE) skills training. Women with BPD (N = 19) were randomized to 6-weeks of DBT-ER, DBT-IE, or a control group. BPD symptoms, emotion regulation, and other BPD-relevant outcomes were assessed using self-report and laboratory-based measures. The DBT-ER group demonstrated large effect sizes for improved self-reported reactivity to an emotional stressor, generation of active rather than passive solutions to interpersonal problems, as well as self-reported distress tolerance, mindfulness, and BPD symptoms following treatment. At follow-up, DBT-ER training was also associated with large improvements in ER, social problem solving, and depression. Similarly large effect sizes, however, were sometimes also achieved in the DBT-IE and control condition. Significant condition x time interactions were detected for non-suicidal self-injury and mindfulness, with significant improvements occurring only in the DBT-ER group, whereas such interactions were not detected for other outcomes. These findings, although preliminary, can stimulate future research examining the specificity of DBT skills. (C) Copyright 2015 Textrum Ltd. All rights reserved.