DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY SKILLS TRAINING FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Objective: Fear of social situations often leads those with SAD to avoid social circumstances altogether. Previous research has demonstrated that SAD is linked to difficulties in emotion regulation and stress tolerance. Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST) is a method that has shown to reduce emotion dysregulation and increase stress tolerance and mindfulness. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study that has looked into the effects of DBT-ST on individuals suffering from SAD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an 8-week group DBT-ST on SAD in women. Secondary endpoints included the effect on depression, social anxiety, mindfulness, group climate, distress tolerance and difficulty in emotion regulation. Method: The participants were screened via phone screening, followed by the application of the SCID-5-CV. Intervention group participants were eight women with SAD, Six of them completed the treatment. The control group consisted of six women with SAD. Data collection instruments consisted of the Beck Depression Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Group Climate Questionnaire, Distress Tolerance Scale and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale. All questionnaires were administered at baseline, mid-intervention (4^th week), post-intervention (8^th week) and at 3-months follow-up. Results: The analyses demonstrated that DBT-ST has been effective in decreasing the avoidance component of SAD (χ2(2)=7.00, p=.03) and in increasing mindfulness skills (χ2(2)=10.33, p=.01) in the intervention group. In addition, the avoidance subscale of the Group Climate Questionnaire demonstrated to be statistically significant (χ2(2)=6.73, p=.03) in the intervention group. Conclusion: Group DBT-ST appears to be a possible treatment in symptom reduction in SAD among women, although more assessments with larger samples are needed