The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Adaptive Behaviors, Emotion Dysregulation, and Social Cognition in Students with Self-Injury

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) on adaptive behaviors, emotion dysregulation, and social cognition in students with self-injurious behaviors. This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of male high school students in Babol during the 2022–2023 academic year who exhibited self-injurious behaviors. Thirty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. Research instruments included the Adaptive Behavior Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Social Cognition Questionnaire, and the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, administered at pretest and posttest stages. The experimental group received 12 sessions of 90-minute group-based DBT training twice weekly, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) via SPSS version 24. The significance level was set at 0.05. ANCOVA results indicated that, after controlling for pretest scores, DBT significantly increased adaptive behaviors (F=23.98, p<0.01, η²=0.57) and social cognition (F=20.21, p<0.01, η²=0.65), and significantly reduced emotion dysregulation (p<0.01, η²=0.56) in students with self-injury. The findings demonstrate that DBT is an effective intervention for enhancing adaptive behaviors and social cognition and reducing emotion dysregulation among students with self-injurious behaviors. Therefore, DBT can be recommended as a practical therapeutic approach in school counseling settings.