Efficacy of Smartphone Apps for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Mentor Information
Dr. Hector Gomez
Description
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported method reducing maladaptive behaviors across a variety of conditions. DBT utilizes an evidence-based approach for building coping skills such as emotional regulation and mindfulness. Adapting DBT into a smartphone app could significantly broaden its accessibility, but the feasibility and efficacy of this medium is undetermined. The objective of this poster is to synthesize current research on DBT and evaluate the extent to which DBT-based applications can reduce the frequency and severity of maladaptive behaviors compared to no treatment or traditional DBT. Using PubMed® search terms "Dialectical behaviour therapy" and "self harm," 150 articles were screened. Studies were excluded if they were literature reviews, pilot studies, combined DBT with other therapies, or contained data older than five years. Pilot studies were excluded due to their lack of results that could be evaluated for this review. Inclusion criteria required studies to be exclusively about DBT, conducted within the last five years, focused on patients with maladaptive behaviors, and yielding conclusive results. The remaining 25 articles were analyzed for shared themes and significant data to reach a final conclusion. While traditional DBT is effective across diverse groups, the viability of a standalone smartphone app remains unproven. These apps focus on providing supplementary coping strategies rather than personalized, responsive therapy as typically seen in DBT. Future research should prioritize developing a smartphone application with the purpose of replacing in-person DBT, therefore providing a proper comparison to traditional methods of this therapy.
Efficacy of Smartphone Apps for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported method reducing maladaptive behaviors across a variety of conditions. DBT utilizes an evidence-based approach for building coping skills such as emotional regulation and mindfulness. Adapting DBT into a smartphone app could significantly broaden its accessibility, but the feasibility and efficacy of this medium is undetermined. The objective of this poster is to synthesize current research on DBT and evaluate the extent to which DBT-based applications can reduce the frequency and severity of maladaptive behaviors compared to no treatment or traditional DBT. Using PubMed® search terms "Dialectical behaviour therapy" and "self harm," 150 articles were screened. Studies were excluded if they were literature reviews, pilot studies, combined DBT with other therapies, or contained data older than five years. Pilot studies were excluded due to their lack of results that could be evaluated for this review. Inclusion criteria required studies to be exclusively about DBT, conducted within the last five years, focused on patients with maladaptive behaviors, and yielding conclusive results. The remaining 25 articles were analyzed for shared themes and significant data to reach a final conclusion. While traditional DBT is effective across diverse groups, the viability of a standalone smartphone app remains unproven. These apps focus on providing supplementary coping strategies rather than personalized, responsive therapy as typically seen in DBT. Future research should prioritize developing a smartphone application with the purpose of replacing in-person DBT, therefore providing a proper comparison to traditional methods of this therapy.
