Dr. Stanley Seah
Fawziyah Odukoya
Members of The Psychopahology and Emotional Processing Lab
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment approach designed to improve emotional regulation and coping skills. This focus is particularly relevant during young adulthood, a developmental stage often characterized by increased emotional and life stressors. In this context, emotional self-efficacy, or an individual’s confidence in their ability to manage and regulate emotions, becomes especially important for maintaining overall well-being. To address these challenges, DBT skills training offers practical tools, including mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Notably, research has shown that DBT skills training can reduce emotional dysregulation and depressive symptoms while also enhancing well-being. In addition, prior studies suggest that DBT programs can increase resilience and improve individuals’ ability to cope with emotional distress. Consequently, these skills may be particularly beneficial for supporting young adult mental health, especially in resource-limited contexts. Therefore, it is hypothesized that participation in a DBT skills training program will lead to improvements in emotional self-efficacy among young adults.
Does an 8-week DBT skills training program improve emotional self-efficacy in young adults in Singapore, where access to mental healthcare is limited?
Sample Population
Young adults ages 21–30
Mild-to-moderate self-reported symptoms of depression and/or anxiety
Sample Size
18 participants total
8 in DBT treatment group
10 in waitlist control group
Study Design
Randomized controlled trial
Participants assessed at four time points
Pre-treatment (T1)
4 weeks (T2)
8 weeks (T3)
12 weeks (T4)
Treatment group completed an 8-week virtual DBT skills training program
Waitlist control group did not receive treatment during study period
Discussion
Improvements in emotional self-efficacy were observed in the Regulate (R) and Understand (U) subscales, with no significant changes in Facilitate (F) or Perceive (P).
The treatment group showed clear improvement over time, while the waitlist group
remained relatively stable, suggesting a possible time × group interaction, particularly for Regulate.
Improvements from post-treatment to follow-up were maintained, indicating that skills learned during the program persisted beyond the intervention.
The lack of change in Perceive may reflect that DBT training focused more on managing and understanding one’s own emotions rather than identifying others’ emotions.
Alignment between DBT skills and ESES items likely explains why Regulate and Understand showed stronger effects.
Although total scores were initially not significant, adding post-treatment data revealed overall improvement
Study Strengths
Multiple time points of assessments
Sample has elevated clinical symptoms
Virtual therapeutic program increases accessibility
Randomized controlled design strengthens confidence in group differences.
Study Limitations
Small sample size (n = 18) because this is a pilot clinical trial
Intervention was relatively brief in duration
Self-report surveys may introduce response bias
Not all emotional self-efficacy domains were equally targeted in the training.
DBT skills training improved emotional self-efficacy in young adults.
Significant gains were found in Regulate (R) and Understand (U).
No significant changes in Facilitate (F) or Perceive (P).
Treatment group improved over time while the waitlist group remained stable.
Improvements were maintained after the intervention ended.
Total emotional self-efficacy scores became significant when post-treatment data was included.
Findings support brief DBT as an effective, accessible intervention for emotional regulation skills.
Future Research Directions
Examine larger and more diverse samples.
Extend or expand DBT training to target all subscales.
Include behavioral or objective measures.
Investigate whether improvements translate to reduced depression and anxiety.
Funding: National University of Singapore Development Grant awarded to Dr. Seah
Members of the Psychopathology & Emotion Processing (PEP) Lab
All research participants
The LEADS Program
Forbes, E. E., Eckstrand, K. L., Rofey, D. L., & Silk, J. S. (2021). A Social Affective Neuroscience Model of Risk and Resilience in Adolescent Depression: Preliminary Evidence and Application to Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents. Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, 6(2), 188–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.07.020
Lenz, A. S., Del Conte, G., Hollenbaugh, K. M., & Callendar, K. (2016). Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness as Mechanisms of Change for Treatment Outcomes Within a DBT Program for Adolescents. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, 7(2), 73-85.
Ferraris, A., et al. (2025). Emotion regulation strategies in meditators and non meditators: An experimental study using a multimethod psychological assessment. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000438
Creating this poster helped me strengthen several key career readiness competencies, particularly communication, critical thinking, and professionalism. Through the process, I developed my communication skills by learning how to present complex ideas about DBT and emotional self-efficacy in a clear, concise, and visually engaging way. I had to carefully consider wording, organization, and design so that the information could be easily understood by a broad audience. At the same time, I strengthened my critical thinking by analyzing research, selecting the most relevant information, and making decisions about how to connect concepts logically within limited space. This required me to prioritize key points and ensure that my conclusions were supported by evidence. Additionally, completing the poster enhanced my professionalism, as I had to meet deadlines, incorporate feedback, and pay close attention to detail in both content and formatting. Overall, this experience not only deepened my understanding of the topic but also helped me develop skills that are essential for academic and professional success.