Effectiveness of DBT skills training in outpatient men: A naturalistic study

A plethora of research highlights the effectiveness of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) in improving emotion regulation and psychological functioning transdiagnostically. However, the majority of this research has focused on women, and the limited existing research on men has concentrated on high acuity patients in forensic and inpatient settings. The present study examined the effectiveness of DBT skills groups in reducing emotion regulation difficulties in a transdiagnostic sample of adult men in a university-based clinical outpatient setting using a naturalistic design. Sixteen adult male patients completed self-report measures examining emotion regulation difficulties (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) at intake and following one 12-week module of DBT skills group. Men showed a significant reduction in overall difficulty regulating emotions with a moderate effect size (d = 0.63, p < .05) following one module of DBT skills group, which were accounted for primarily by improvements on the impulse control difficulties subscale (d = 1.06, p < .01). In comparison, women (N = 82) showed significant improvements in global emotion regulation difficulties (d = 0.71, p < .01), with marked improvement across all six subscales. Implications of findings for the application of DBT for men in outpatient settings is discussed, limitations reviewed, and areas for future research suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).