The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Self-disclosure, Self-compassion and Self-injurious Behaviors of Female Students

One of the dangerous unhealthy behaviors that are more common during adolescence compared with other periods of life is the self-injury behavior. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on self-concealment, self-compassion and self-injurious behaviors of female students. The research method was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of the research was the female high school students in Bandar Turkmen, Iran, during the school years 2022-2023, when 30 students were included by cluster sampling and randomly placed in 2 experimental and control groups (n=15 for each group). The experimental group received dialectical behavior therapy while the control group did not receive any intervention until the end of the study. The research tools included Larson and Justin's self-disclosure questionnaires, Neff's self-compassion, and Klonsky and Glenn's list of self-injury behaviors and functions. The results of the research showed that dialectical behavior therapy was effective on self-concealment, self-compassion and self-injury behaviors of female students (P<0.05). The results indicated that, with a receptive and non-judgmental state of mind and empathy, the dialectical behavior therapy led to the reduction of self-concealment, self-injurious behaviors and enhanced self-compassion in female students.