Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Zeinab Golmakani ¹
• Ali Mashhadi ²
• Imanollah Bigdeli ²

¹ MSc. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

² Professor of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Barlow's Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment on self-injurious behaviors and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in individuals with non-suicidal self-injury. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design with a follow-up was employed. The population comprised all women aged 18-27 who sought treatment for non-suicidal self-injury at health centers in Mashhad, Iran, in 2023. A sample of 30 participants was selected through voluntary sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 individual sessions of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment (45 minutes each), while the control group received treatment after the follow-up period. Data were collected using the Inventory of Statements About Self-injury (ISAS) and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short Form (CERQ-short). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS-26. The findings indicated that the Unified Protocol significantly reduced the frequency and intensity of self-injurious behavior and all maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Moreover, the treatment increased three adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies: acceptance, positive refocusing, and positive reappraisal (P<0.05). These findings were maintained at the two-month follow-up.

Keywords

• Non-suicidal self-injury
• cognitive emotional regulation
• Barlow's Unified Protocol