The Effectiveness of Group Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Tolerance of Ambiguity, Childhood Trauma, and External Shame in Women with Trichotillomania Disorder

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD in Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Masters, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil Branch, Ardabil, Iran

3 Masters, Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Payame Noor University, Zarrinshahr Branch, Zarrinshahr, Iran

4 Professor, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of group Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) on ambiguity tolerance, childhood trauma, and external shame in women with trichotillomania. The research method followed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of women with trichotillomania in Tehran in 2024. Based on inclusion criteria, 34 women were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The groups were assessed using the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale (MGH), the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-I), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the External Shame Scale (ESS). After 8 sessions of 90-minute group DBT sessions for the experimental group, participants completed the research questionnaires again. Data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) with SPSS-27. The results indicated that DBT significantly increased ambiguity tolerance and reduced physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, and external shame in women with trichotillomania (P<0.01). By teaching skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness, Dialectical Behavior Therapy helps individuals manage negative emotions without resorting to compulsive behaviors like hair-pulling, enabling them to achieve greater control over their actions.

Keywords

Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 January 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 September 2024
  • Revise Date: 12 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 18 November 2024
  • First Publish Date: 20 January 2025
  • Publish Date: 20 January 2025

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