The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) on Emotion Regulation and Impulse Control of Soldiers with a Self-Reporting Experience

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on emotion regulation and impulsivity control in self-reported soldiers.

In a quasi-experimental research design, 20 soldiers with self-harm symptoms were selected based on available sampling criteria and randomly divided into two experimental groups (10 subjects). And the control group (n = 10). Experimental group received 12 sessions of dialectical behavior therapy intervention in both groups. Participants in both groups were evaluated by Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Garnefsky Cognitive-Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P), and the Self-Behavior Questionnaire Gratz (GISB) in three stages of pre-test, post-test, and 1-month follow-up. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA and SPSS software.

The results showed that group-based dialectical behavior therapy had a positive effect on the modification of emotion regulation strategies in soldiers with a history of self-injury and group dialectic behavior therapy training had a positive effect on reducing impulsivity. It has also been effective on some subscales of emotion regulation and impulsivity of soldiers with a history of self-harm.

The results showed that dialectical behavior therapy has a significant effect on increasing emotion regulation and impulsive control of soldiers with a history of self-harm.