Effects of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training on Coping Responses in Young Adults

This study analyzed the effect of an 8-week virtually delivered Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST) program on coping responses in young adults with mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression symptoms in Singapore, where access to mental health care is limited. Eighteen participants were randomly assigned to either the DBT-ST program or a waitlist control condition, with coping responses measured using the Brief COPE Scale at baseline, mid-treatment (week 4), post-treatment (week 8), and one-month follow-up (week 12). Results indicated that participation in DBT-ST led to general improvements in coping responses, with significant reductions in use of distraction-based strategies at post-treatment that were also maintained at follow-up. These findings indicate that brief, group-based DBT-ST has the potential to improve coping behaviors in young adults. This is especially valuable as the group-style, virtual DBT-ST used in this pilot RCT is an accessible and affordable alternative to traditional mental health treatments in resource-scarce communities. Further research with larger samples is needed to expand on these preliminary results.

Research Questions

Aim

Examine the effects of a brief 8-week DBT skills training on the coping responses in young adults with mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression.

This study assessed the preliminary efficacy of the treatment in young adults from Singapore, given resource limitations with mental health care access.

Hypothesis

The DBT-ST program will lead to a difference in coping responses compared to the waitlist control group.

We expected higher scores on adaptive forms of coping such as positive reframing and lower scores on maladaptive coping such as distraction or self-blame.

Methods

Participants

N = 18 (61% female, 83% Chinese)
All participants had mild to moderate levels of anxiety and/or depression symptoms according to the 21-item DASS-21.

Demographics

Age: M = 24 (SD = 2.17), range 21-30 years old
All Singaporean young adults recruited from the National University of Singapore and the local public

Procedures

Pilot randomized controlled trial
Participants were randomly assigned to treatment or waitlist control condition.
Treatment group received 8 weeks of virtual DBT-ST
Mindfulness (2 sessions), Emotion Regulation (3 sessions), and Distress Tolerance (3 sessions)
Waitlist controls did not receive any treatment during the study period

Measures

Brief COPE Scale3
Subscales: Self-distraction, Active, Denial, Substance use, Emotional Support, Instrumental support, Disengagement, Venting, Positive reframing, Planning, Humor, Acceptance, Religion, Self-blame
Assessed at baseline, mid-treatment (Week 4), post-treatment (Week 8), and follow-up (Week 12)

Analyses

Examined group Means and SDs of each subscale
Conducted non-parametric tests examining group differences in score distributions.
Analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics.

Results/Findings and Discussion

Highlights

Participation in the 8-Week DBT-ST program was correlated with lower scores on the Distraction Subscale of the Brief COPE after treatment.
Significant mean score decreases were displayed during measurement post-treatment (week 8) and retained when measured at follow up (week 12).
Demonstrates improvement in coping responses that persist even after treatment has ceased.

Discussion

Despite small sample size, findings suggest significant correlation between treatment and improvements in coping.
This pilot study of a new, group-style DBT-ST treatment utilized random assignment and controlled for baseline group differences.
Enhanced our understanding of affordable and accessible treatments for resource-limited communities.

Limitations

Small n limits large-scale group differences in score distribution.
Limited variability across many subscales suggests need for expanded study.

Conclusions and Future Directions

Conclusions

This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that a brief, 8-week virtual DBT-ST program can potentially reduce maladaptive coping strategies in young adults with mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Notably, the significant decrease in distraction-based coping persisted at the one-month follow-up, suggesting that skills acquired through DBT-ST may produce durable improvements beyond the active treatment period. The treatment provides unique advantages as it is remotely administered, relatively inexpensive, and easily implementable in resource-limited areas.

Future Directions

Effect on Distract subscale suggest potential for expanded DBT-ST treatments in improving coping responses.
New measures tailored to DBT-focused skills and coping could improve sensitivity of treatment effects.

The following is an image of poster presented at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Forum [remember to include alt text]

Acknowledgements

Funding

National University of Singapore Development Grant awarded to Dr. Seah

Personnel

Members of the PEP Lab and all research participants

NACE Career Readiness Competencies

During this research experience, I strengthened my critical thinking skills by selecting appropriate statistical analyses for a small sample and interpreting results to draw conclusions. The exposure I received to new technology, particularly IBM SPSS Statistics was both fascinating and exciting, and even though I was intimidated at first, felt like a necessary leap into the grittier side of research. This project also developed my communication abilities, as it was one of my first experiences communicating findings in the academic world. Developing my ability to translate raw data into tangible yet concise conclusions was one of my most valuable takeaways from the experience. Finally, collaborating with Dr. Seah and receiving help from some of the other PEP Lab members strengthened my teamwork skills, teaching me how to coordinate to meet deadlines and ensure all feedback is integrated into the process.

Research Compliance Protocols

This research study was approved by the National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (#NUS-IRB-2025-193)

References

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Neacsiu, A. D., Eberle, J. W., Kramer, R., Wiesmann, T., & Linehan, M. M. (2014). Dialectical behavior therapy skills for transdiagnostic emotion dysregulation: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 59, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2014.05.005
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour research and therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u
Carver C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: consider the brief COPE. International journal of behavioral medicine, 4(1), 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0401_6

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