The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Emotional Processing Defects and Impulsivity of Soldiers Aged 18 to 20 Years with High-risk Behaviors

Background: Faulty emotional strategies are one of the most crucial indicators of dangerous behavior. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) on emotional processing defects and impulsivity of soldiers aged 18 to 20 years with high-risk behaviors. Methods: The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design. The statistical population of this study included all soldiers aged 18 to 20 years referred to Valiasr Medical Center in Tehran in 2020. The research sample included 30 soldiers with high-risk behaviors who were selected purposefully and randomly assigned to two groups (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). To collect data, the high-risk behaviors Scale (IARS), Barrett's Impulsiveness scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used. The experimental group underwent ten sessions of DBT, and the control group did not receive any treatment. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS-23 software. The significance level of the tests was considered 0.05. Results: The results of this study showed that the intervention and control groups had statistically significant differences in terms of emotional processing (P < 0.01) and impulsivity (P < 0.05) after the intervention of dialectical behavior therapy. Conclusions: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that dialectical behavioral therapy can be used along with other treatments to reduce the problems of soldiers with high-risk behaviors.