The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy With Adolescents in a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Center

This study focused on the implementation of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment for youths with nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation, in a psychiatric residential treatment center (RTC) for children and adolescents who have complex psychological, psychiatric, substance use, and developmental disorders.

In a pilot hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial, the authors compared functioning scores of adolescent patients who received DBT (N=113) with the scores of those who received treatment as usual (N=114) in an RTC. Data were collected from 227 adolescents admitted to the RTC over a 2-year period (July 2018-June 2020). Chi-square and t-test analyses were used to explore demographic differences and differences in functioning between the two groups.

Adolescents in the DBT group demonstrated improved overall functioning between admission and discharge, but analyses indicated a nonsignificant difference between adolescents who received DBT and those who received treatment as usual.

This nonrandomized study suggests that DBT may be a useful psychotherapeutic treatment for adolescents, although findings are preliminary.