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Effects of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) Program of Rural Ninth-Grade Students

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Abstract

A classroom guidance curriculum following the dialectical behavior therapy skills training for emotion problem solving for adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) was evaluated using a pretest–posttest nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design. Data from 94 ninth-grade students (42 treatment, 52 control) enrolled in a rural high school were analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicated a treatment effect on students’ self-reported social resilience and emotion regulation difficulties, indicating potential for the classroom guidance curriculum. Results from exploratory analyses also supported a treatment effect for understanding and acceptance of DBT skills. The findings have direct implications for school counselors and other school-based mental health professionals, highlighting the positive effects of proactively employing universal social and emotional learning interventions targeting the development of adolescent social and emotional skill building. A discussion on future practice and research is also included.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, School Counseling Program, The University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, 1050F Peabody Hall (Box CB 3500), Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Robert R. Martinez Jr., Marisa E. Marraccini, Steven E. Knotek, Rebecca A. Neshkes & Juliana Vanderburg

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  1. Robert R. Martinez Jr.
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  2. Marisa E. Marraccini
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  3. Steven E. Knotek
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  4. Rebecca A. Neshkes
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  5. Juliana Vanderburg
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Correspondence to Robert R. Martinez Jr..

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Martinez, R.R., Marraccini, M.E., Knotek, S.E. et al. Effects of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A) Program of Rural Ninth-Grade Students. School Mental Health 14, 165–178 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09463-5

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