Effects of a Standardized DBT-A Program on Identity Development in Adolescents.
Brain Sci 2023;
13:1328. [PMID:
37759929 PMCID:
PMC10526514 DOI:
10.3390/brainsci13091328]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Identity diffusion plays a central role in the onset of borderline personality disorders. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) is a treatment program for adolescents with emotional instability and dysregulation. The interest of this study is to examine the potential effects of a standardized and certified DBT-A therapy program on the identity development of adolescents in an inpatient setting.
METHODS
A total of 138 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years with symptoms of severe emotional instability were assessed before and after a certified and standardized 12-week in-patient DBT-A program targeting emotional regulation with the following standardized instruments: the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA), Scale of the Experience of Emotions (SEE), and Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R).
RESULTS
The results indicate a significant change in identity development, emotion regulation, and general symptoms of psychopathology after treatment with DBT-A.
CONCLUSIONS
In this large sample of adolescents, DBT-A significantly improved identity development and reduced identity diffusion, however, without a treatment-as-usual control group as a limitation. Nevertheless, our results may become clinically relevant for the prevention of chronic impairment in emotionally unstable adolescents.
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