Mindfulness as taught in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mindfulness Research

Background:

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) integrates mindfulness skills.
• The specific impact of DBT-delivered mindfulness on clinical outcomes requires clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of studies examining the effect of teaching the mindfulness element of DBT on clinical outcomes.
• To synthesize findings on the efficacy of DBT mindfulness interventions for clinical populations.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of 11 studies.
• Analysis of interventions using embedded mindfulness skills or stand-alone DBT-Mindfulness (DBT-M) modules.
• Inclusion of studies on clinical populations.

Main Results:

• Clinical application of DBT mindfulness increases self-reported mindfulness, particularly non-judgmental awareness.
• Improvements observed in psychological measures, such as attention.
• Positive effects noted on specific clinical symptoms, including Borderline Personality Disorder.

Conclusions:

• DBT-delivered mindfulness shows promise for enhancing mindfulness and improving certain clinical symptoms.
• Limitations include variability in study controls for group effects, practice duration, and other DBT components.
• Further investigation is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of change associated with DBT mindfulness training.