A transdiagnostic treatment for emotion regulation: A new group therapy protocol combining Exposure Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
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文摘
This study was a quantitative outcome trial of an 8-week emotion regulation treatment protocol, which examined the effectiveness of a new treatment for emotion regulation combining Exposure Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ACT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy DBT). Emotion Dysegulation can be conceptualized as the full range of thoughts, feelings, somatic sensations and behavioral urges that originate as reactions and/or attempts to alter reactions to internal and external stimuli, which are contextually maladaptive in frequency, duration, intensity and/or expression. The sample for this study consisted of male and female clients, n ＝ 22), recruited through a low-fee community mental health clinic and through local newspaper advertising. The studys two hypotheses were that this treatment would result in: 1) a decrease in the self-report of emotion dysregulation, an increase in emotional self-efficacy and a reduction in symptoms, and, 2) this treatment would result in a decrease in the self-report of experiential avoidance and distress intolerance. Results showed significant treatment differences and large effect sizes in pre-test to post-test measures of emotion dysregulation, as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale DERS), emotional self-efficacy, as measured by the Multidimensional Negative Emotions Self-Regulatory Efficacy Scale MNESRES) and depression, anxiety and stress, as measured by the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale DASS-21). Results also showed significant treatment differences and large effect sizes in pre-test to post-test measures of distress intolerance as measured by the Distress Tolerance Scale DTS) and the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire MEAQ). These results provide strong support for both hypotheses, suggesting that this treatment is effective in reducing emotion dysregulation, decreasing experiential avoidance and decreasing distress intolerance. This study also offers support for the use of exposure to enhance skills training in a therapeutic setting. This studys limitations and confounds include a small sample size n＝22)； differential baselines in participants； a lack of follow up on the data； therapist effects, reliance on self-report measures, practice effects, experimenter expectancy effects, and demand characteristics. Given the limitations, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution. Despite these limitations, the effect sizes suggest this treatment is effective for treating emotion dysregulation. Future research should further explore both the relationship and directionality between emotion dysregulation, experiential avoidance and distress intolerance.