Mentor: Stanley Seah, Ph.D.

This study analyzed the effect of an 8-week virtually delivered Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST) program on coping responses in young adults with mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression symptoms in Singapore, where access to mental health care is limited. Eighteen participants were randomly assigned to either the DBT-ST program or a waitlist control condition, with coping responses measured using the Brief COPE Scale at baseline, mid-treatment (week 4), post-treatment (week 8), and one-month follow-up (week 12). Results indicated that participation in DBT-ST led to general improvements in coping responses, with significant reductions in use of distraction-based strategies at post-treatment that were also maintained at follow-up. These findings indicate that brief, group-based DBT-ST has the potential to improve coping behaviors in young adults. This is especially valuable as the group-style, virtual DBT-ST used in this pilot RCT is an accessible and affordable alternative to traditional mental health treatments in resource-scarce communities. Further research with larger samples is needed to expand on these preliminary results.

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