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Dialectical behavior therapy

Adult Criminal Justice
  Literature review updated September 2015.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses on mindfulness, interpersonal, emotion-regulating, and self-management skills. DBT was originally developed for women with borderline personality disorder. DBT is typically used with individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have a diagnosis of mental illness. Treatment may occur in an individual or group setting, typically weekly, for several hours per session. DBT can be delivered during incarceration or in a residential treatment setting. Therapists often modify the curriculum to be relevant for incarcerated individuals and their day-to-day life in prison. Treatment length can vary depending on the individuals’ progress.
 
ALL
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
ES SE Age ES p-value
Psychiatric symptoms
Mental health symptoms (such as symptoms of psychosis) in individuals with serious mental illness, measured on a validated scale.
 32 2 49 -0.356 0.205 34 -0.356 0.082

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Shelton, D., Sampl, S., Kesten, K.L., Zhang, W., & Trestman, R.L. (2009). Treatment of impulsive aggression in correctional settings. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 27(5), 787-800.

Wahl, C.T. (2011). Evaluation of a dialectical behavior therapy skills group for female inmates who voluntarily seek treatment: A pilot study. Doctoral dissertation. University of Louisville.