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Group Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Training for First Episode Psychosis

12 september 2026 bijgewerkt door: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Group Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Training for Individuals With First Episode Psychosis: a Feasibility Study

Psychosis is a serious mental health condition that can affect how a person thinks, feels, and functions in daily life, often making it harder to maintain relationships, continue education, or work. Even with standard treatment, many people continue to experience emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and difficulty coping with strong emotions. These challenges can worsen recovery, increase the risk of substance use and suicidal behaviour, and place a significant burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based psychological treatment that helps people manage emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships. Although DBT has been effective in other mental health conditions, it has not been well studied in people with first-episode psychosis.

This study will evaluate an 8-week group DBT skills training adapted for individuals with first-episode psychosis. The study aims to assess whether the program is acceptable and feasible to deliver, and whether it may improve emotion regulation, mood, resilience, and functioning. Findings will inform whether a larger clinical trial of this intervention should be conducted.

Studie Overzicht

Toestand

Nog niet aan het werven

Conditie

Interventie / Behandeling

Gedetailleerde beschrijving

Despite evidence that individuals with psychotic disorders experience marked emotion dysregulation, impulsivity and elevated suicide risk, they have largely been excluded from clinical trials evaluating DBT. Nevertheless, emerging pilot studies support the feasibility and potential efficacy of brief DBT-informed skills group in individuals with psychosis, with participants reporting high satisfaction and improvements in understanding and managing emotions, suicidality, and interpersonal functioning. However, this literature remains preliminary and underdeveloped, and no studies have evaluated group DBT skills intervention specifically for individuals with first-episode psychosis.

Aim 1: To evaluate the acceptability of the group DBT skills training invention and the feasibility of conducting a fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) of in young men with psychosis.

Aim 2: To assess the preliminary efficacy of group DBT skills training in improving emotion regulation, resilience, and functioning and reducing, mood and anxiety and substance use, in a single-arm exploratory clinical trial.

This study will provide evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a group DBT skills training for young men with first-episode psychosis. Findings will advance understanding of emotion regulation as a treatment target in psychosis and inform the development of larger controlled trials evaluating emotion-focused interventions in early psychosis care. The intervention could represent a scalable and practical psychosocial treatment to address emotional difficulties that are common but often under-treated in psychosis.

This study employing qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the group DBT skills training intervention and test its feasibility, and acceptability in individuals with psychosis. A single arm trial where DBT skills group delivered over 8-weeks, will be conducted. Thirty-two participants are planned to be enrolled in the trial. Participants will continue with their standard outpatient care during the trial. Outcome measures will be completed at study entry and post-treatment. For the qualitative component of the study, 15 post-intervention semi-structured interviews will be conducted.

Studietype

Ingrijpend

Inschrijving (Geschat)

32

Fase

  • Niet toepasbaar

Contacten en locaties

In dit gedeelte vindt u de contactgegevens van degenen die het onderzoek uitvoeren en informatie over waar dit onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd.

Studiecontact

Deelname Criteria

Onderzoekers zoeken naar mensen die aan een bepaalde beschrijving voldoen, de zogenaamde geschiktheidscriteria. Enkele voorbeelden van deze criteria zijn iemands algemene gezondheidstoestand of eerdere behandelingen.

Geschiktheidscriteria

Leeftijden die in aanmerking komen voor studie

  • Kind
  • Volwassen

Accepteert gezonde vrijwilligers

Nee

Beschrijving

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Be 14-35 years old.
  2. All gender identities are eligible to participate.
  3. Being competent as demonstrated by comprehension of the study procedures, risks, benefits and their rights as a volunteer in the research study and willing to consent to study participation.
  4. Meets criteria for a psychotic spectrum disorder as determined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, other specified schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or other unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder), or bipolar disorder with psychotic features, and is within 3 years of their initial diagnosis.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnosis of intellectual disability previously documented in the patient chart.
  2. Acute suicidality requiring immediate life-saving intervention (i.e., inpatient psychiatric care).
  3. Receiving any additional structured psychotherapy interventions during the study period.

Studie plan

Dit gedeelte bevat details van het studieplan, inclusief hoe de studie is opgezet en wat de studie meet.

Hoe is de studie opgezet?

Ontwerpdetails

  • Primair doel: Behandeling
  • Toewijzing: NVT
  • Interventioneel model: Opdracht voor een enkele groep
  • Masker: Geen (open label)

Wapens en interventies

Deelnemersgroep / Arm
Interventie / Behandeling
Experimenteel: Group DBT
Receive 8-week Group DBT intervention
DBT skills group delivered over 8-weeks

Wat meet het onderzoek?

Primaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Adherence
Tijdsspanne: post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Percent sessions attended
post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Retention rates
Tijdsspanne: post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Percent participants who complete 8-week study.
post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Attrition
Tijdsspanne: post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Percent participants that dropout at 8 weeks
post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire
Tijdsspanne: post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
A Likert scale from 1-4, total scores range from 8-32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
post treatment (8 weeks after baseline)
Timeline Follow Back (TLFB)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A self-report method for substance use, and will be used to quantify the amount/frequency of cannabis in the past 14 days.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secundaire uitkomstmaten

Uitkomstmaat
Maatregel Beschrijving
Tijdsspanne
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
a widely used instrument for the assessment of positive, negative and affective symptoms in individuals who have psychotic disorders. It consists of 18 symptom constructs. Total score range from 18-126, higher scores indicating higher severity.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
An instrument for measuring negative symptoms in schizophrenia. It assesses five symptom complexes to obtain clinical ratings of negative symptoms in participants with schizophrenia. They are: affective blunting; alogia (impoverished thinking); avolition/apathy; anhedonia/asociality; and disturbance of attention. Assessments are conducted on a six-point scale (0=not at all to 5=severe). Total score range from 0-110, higher scores indicating higher severity.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
4-point Likert type scale (0, absent; 1, mild; 2, moderate; 3, severe) with nine items. It is a reliable scale, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.855), and the CDSS is suitable for evaluating symptoms of depression in people at clinical high risk for psychosis Total score range from 0-27, higher scores indicating higher severity.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A psychological inventory consisting of 40 self-report items on a 4-point Likert scale. The STAI measures two types of anxiety - state anxiety and trait anxiety. Scores range from 20 to 80 for both state and trait anxiety, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Borderline Symptom List (BSL-23)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A well-established self-rating instrument to assess the severity of borderline typical psychopathology. The BSL-23 assesses 23 feelings and experiences typically reported by BPD patients, refers to the last week and has a range from 0 = 'not at all' to 4 = 'very strong. scores range from 0 to 92 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A 36-item self-report measure of six facets of emotion regulation. Items are rated on a scale of 1 ("almost never [0-10%]") to 5 ("almost always [91-100%]"). Scores range from 36 to 180, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Global Functioning: Social and Role Scales
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Brief clinician-administered measures of social and role functioning, respectively, administered as a semi-structured interview with detailed anchors for ratings that address functional difficulties typically experienced by youth at risk for psychosis. Scores range from 1 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater functioning.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A 25-item self-report rating scale designed to assess resilience, with higher scores being an indicator of high resilience. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from not true at all or zero to true nearly all the time or four. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater resilience.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Involvement Scale (AADIS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A clinician rated instrument which evaluates an adolescent's use of alcohol and other drugs. The score is calculated from a weighted sum of item ratings on a scale of 1-12, where higher scores indicate more serious levels of involvement.
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A self-report tool developed that aim to distinguish between different levels of cannabis use, cannabis use disorders and stage of change. It contains 8 items, two each from the domains of consumption, cannabis problems (abuse), dependence, and psychological features. score range 0-32, more indicating hazardous cannabis use and scores of 12 or more suggesting a possible cannabis use disorder
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Tijdsspanne: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
A semi-structured clinical interview that assesses suicidal ideation severity, suicidal ideation intensity, and suicidal behavior. intensity subscale (scored separately) that ranges from 0-25 by rating the frequency, duration, and controllability of ideation. Overall Score 0: No suicidal risk Score 1-2: Low risk; safety planning recommended as a best practice Score 3-6: Moderate to high risk; requires safety planning and close follow-up
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Medewerkers en onderzoekers

Hier vindt u mensen en organisaties die betrokken zijn bij dit onderzoek.

Sponsor

Studie record data

Deze datums volgen de voortgang van het onderzoeksdossier en de samenvatting van de ingediende resultaten bij ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieverslagen en gerapporteerde resultaten worden beoordeeld door de National Library of Medicine (NLM) om er zeker van te zijn dat ze voldoen aan specifieke kwaliteitscontrolenormen voordat ze op de openbare website worden geplaatst.

Bestudeer belangrijke data

Studie start (Geschat)

15 september 2026

Primaire voltooiing (Geschat)

30 september 2027

Studie voltooiing (Geschat)

30 december 2027

Studieregistratiedata

Eerst ingediend

17 augustus 2026

Eerst ingediend dat voldeed aan de QC-criteria

17 augustus 2026

Eerst geplaatst (Werkelijk)

20 augustus 2026

Updates van studierecords

Laatste update geplaatst (Werkelijk)

16 september 2026

Laatste update ingediend die voldeed aan QC-criteria

12 september 2026

Laatst geverifieerd

1 augustus 2026

Meer informatie

Termen gerelateerd aan deze studie

Andere studie-ID-nummers

  • 2026/060

Plan Individuele Deelnemersgegevens (IPD)

Bent u van plan om gegevens van individuele deelnemers (IPD) te delen?

NEE

Informatie over medicijnen en apparaten, studiedocumenten

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd geneesmiddel

Nee

Bestudeert een door de Amerikaanse FDA gereguleerd apparaatproduct

Nee

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