The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Rumination and Cognitive Avoidance in Teachers

Overview

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.

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.