What question did this study set out to answer?

This study evaluates whether Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can effectively reduce self-harm behaviors and improve emotional regulation in male adolescents.

June 17, 2026

Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Reducing Self-Harm Behaviors among Male Adolescents in Iraq: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Puntos clave

This study evaluates whether Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can effectively reduce self-harm behaviors and improve emotional regulation in male adolescents.
Quasi-experimental design with an experimental group (DBT intervention) and a control group.
Sample size of 60 male adolescents aged 13-18 years, evenly divided between groups.
Used Self-Harm Behavior Inventory and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire for data collection.
Self-harm behavior scores decreased by 50.3% in the experimental group (p < 0.001).
Emotional regulation skills improved by 46.1% in the experimental group (p < 0.001).
Effect size (η² = 0.51) indicates a strong impact of the intervention, sustained at three-month follow-up.

Resumen

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program in reducing self-harm behaviors and improving emotional regulation skills among male adolescents in Iraq. Self-harm behaviors among adolescents represent a serious psychological and social concern, particularly in contexts where emotional and behavioral difficulties may not receive sufficient therapeutic attention. Therefore, the present study sought to examine whether a structured DBT-based intervention could contribute to decreasing these behaviors and enhancing adolescents’ ability to regulate their emotions effectively.The study adopted a quasi-experimental design that included two groups: an experimental group and a control group, with pre-test and post-test measurements applied to both groups. The study sample consisted of 60 male adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years, divided equally into two groups (30 participants in the experimental group and 30 in the control group). The experimental group participated in a DBT-based intervention program designed to develop emotional regulation skills and reduce self-harm tendencies, while the control group did not receive the intervention during the study period. Two standardized instruments were used to collect data: the Self-Harm Behavior Inventory and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire.The findings indicated statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) between the experimental and control groups in the post-test results in favor of the experimental group. Specifically, self-harm behavior scores decreased by 50.3%, while emotional regulation skills improved by 46.1% among participants who received the DBT intervention. Furthermore, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a large effect size (η² = 0.51), indicating that the intervention had a strong impact on the measured outcomes. Importantly, these improvements remained statistically significant during the three-month follow-up assessment, suggesting the stability and sustained effectiveness of the DBT program in supporting adolescents’ emotional and behavioral adjustment.

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