Associations Between Symptoms and Participation in a DBT-A-focused Long-Term Residential Treatment Program: Outcomes at Discharge and 2-Years Post-Discharge

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) has emerged to be a promising outpatient therapy for psychologically complex adolescents. Long-term residential programs have begun to adapt DBT-A to the residential setting with hopes of similar positive outcomes, but the outcomes of DBT-A after discharging from a long-term residential program remain largely unknown. This open trial study describes the adaptation of DBT-A for integration within long-term residential treatment center (RTC) care, along with associated outcomes post-discharge. The current study examined data from 563 adolescent females aged 12–18 (M = 15.54, SD = 1.16) who were enrolled in a DBT-A-focused long-term residential care program. Data were gathered at admittance, during treatment, at discharge, and post-discharge. Using a pre-post t-test analysis, the results of the study showed significant reductions in symptoms related to depression, emotional dysregulation, and psychosocial distress at the time of discharge. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that a majority of symptom reductions were maintained 2 years post-discharge from the program. Future studies should determine whether these promising findings replicate in more diverse samples using an experimental design to control for potential confounds.