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

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