Cognitive Avoidance, Rumination
Conditions
Keywords
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Teachers, Rumination, Cognitive Avoidance, Emotion Regulation, Mindfulness, Psychological Resilience, Psychoeducational Intervention, Group Skills Training, Occupational Stress, Middle-School Teachers, Randomized Controlled Trial
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training in reducing rumination and cognitive avoidance among middle-school teachers in Isfahan, Iran. Teachers often experience occupational stress that may contribute to maladaptive cognitive and emotional responses. DBT is a skills-based psychological intervention that aims to improve emotional regulation, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. Thirty-four eligible teachers were randomly assigned to either a DBT intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group attended ten group sessions, while the control group received no intervention during the study period. Levels of rumination and cognitive avoidance were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up using standardized questionnaires. The study aimed to determine whether DBT skills training could reduce maladaptive cognitive processes and promote psychological well-being among teachers.
Detailed description
Teachers are exposed to chronic occupational stress that may contribute to maladaptive cognitive processes, including rumination and cognitive avoidance. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), originally developed for emotion dysregulation, has increasingly been applied as a transdiagnostic and skills-based intervention in non-clinical populations. DBT emphasizes mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that may enhance adaptive coping and psychological resilience. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of a DBT skills training program among middle-school teachers in Isfahan, Iran. Participants assigned to the intervention group attended ten structured group sessions delivered in a face-to-face format. The program was based on Linehan's DBT skills training model and focused on developing practical strategies for emotional and cognitive self-regulation. Participants in the control group did not receive the intervention during the study period. The study was designed to evaluate whether a structured DBT-based psychoeducational program could improve cognitive and emotional functioning and contribute to the growing evidence supporting the use of DBT in educational and non-clinical settings.
Interventions
Participants assigned to the experimental group received a manualized Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training program delivered in a face-to-face group format. The intervention consisted of ten sessions conducted over a five-week period. The program was based on Linehan's DBT model and included training in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. Sessions involved psychoeducation, group discussion, and practical exercises designed to improve cognitive and emotional self-regulation. Participants in the control group received no intervention during the study period.
Sponsors
Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Due to the nature of the behavioral intervention, neither participants nor investigators were blinded to group assignment. Outcome measures were self-administered questionnaires completed by participants.
Intervention model description
Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two parallel groups. The intervention group received ten sessions of group-based Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training, whereas the control group received no intervention during the study period. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
35 Years to 52 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Female middle-school teachers from districts 4 and 5 of Isfahan, Iran. * Age between 35 and 52 years. * Willingness to participate and provide written informed consent. * Ability to attend the intervention sessions and complete study assessments.
Exclusion criteria
* Absence from more than two intervention sessions. * Withdrawal of consent at any stage of the study. * Failure to complete post-intervention or follow-up assessments.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Avoidance | Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), and 2-month follow-up. | Change in cognitive avoidance scores measured using the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire. Total scores range from 25 to 125, with higher scores indicating greater cognitive avoidance and worse outcomes. |
| Rumination | Baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks), and 2-month follow-up. | Change in rumination scores measured using the Ruminative Response Scale. Total scores range from 22 to 88, with higher scores indicating greater rumination and worse outcomes. |
Countries
Iran
Contacts
STUDY_CHAIRMaryam Kadkhodaee, PhD of Psychology
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Mo. C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
Outcome results
None listed