1 - (OP26) Dialectical Behavior Therapy-skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: An Effectiveness Evaluation

Objective: Adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand face high rates of emotional distress with limited early intervention services. This research is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing Dialectical Behavior Therapy—Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (DBT STEPS-A), a school-based program designed to build emotion regulation and coping skills, in Aotearoa.

Method: The DBT STEPS-A program was delivered across 14 schools to students aged 10–14 years (N = 262; 48.5% female). Students completed psychometric measures assessing emotion regulation, psychosocial difficulties and strengths, mindfulness, life satisfaction, and psychological skill use before and after the program. Student and school demographic information was obtained. Using a pre-post design, effectiveness was assessed through the proportion of students obtaining meaningful change in psychometric measure scores, band score shifts, and subgroup analyses.

Results: Significant improvements were observed in SDQ band score shifts, DBT skill use (p < .0001), emotion regulation strategies (p < .01), goal-directed behavior (p < .01), mindfulness (p = .02), and life satisfaction (p < .001) in students across a number of schools, with the greatest benefits observed among students with clinically elevated baseline scores. No significant changes were found in externalizing domains. Exploratory analyses suggested differential effects by ethnicity and a school equity index, suggesting broader factors influenced the degree of benefit.

Conclusions: These findings support DBT STEPS-A as an effective early intervention for youth in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly for students with emerging emotional difficulties. Future studies should explore long-term outcomes, cultural adaptations, and implementation fidelity.