7 - (IOP 4) Assessing Attitudes and Acceptability of a DBT Skills Group Among Interpersonal Violence Survivors

Introduction: Interpersonal violence (IPV) is a pervasive concern associated with many deleterious outcomes, including greater risk for experiencing mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders (López-Martínez et al., 2018; Mercy et al., 2017). Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills groups are particularly well-suited to addressing transdiagnostic risk factors for most psychological disorders. DBT skills groups may be particularly efficacious for IPV survivors, who demonstrate elevated difficulties across transdiagnostic domains targeted by DBT skills groups (e.g., emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance; Muñoz-Rivas, 2021; Lee & Fruzetti, 2017). Further, the unique challenges associated with IPV (e.g., criminal justice system engagement, seeing the perpetrator frequently, navigating housing issues) suggest that IPV survivors could benefit from increased emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills. While some DBT skills groups have been modified and disseminated to groups of survivors (domestic violence survivors; Lee & Fruzzetti, 2017), no studies to date have preemptively assessed survivors’ attitudes towards DBT skills groups, policies and procedures of the groups, or existing adaptations made to the group before dissemination.

Aims: The ADAPT-ITT framework, a model utilized to adapt existing treatments to specific target populations (Wingood & DiClemente, 2008), will be used to 1) document rates of transdiagnostic risk factors amongst IPV survivors that would be addressed in DBT skills groups, 2) describe perceived barriers to participating in DBT skills groups, and 3) understand general acceptability of DBT and skills groups.

Methods: Participants will be 200 IPV survivors recruited from an online research crowdsourcing website (i.e., Prolific). These aims will be assessed utilizing the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form (Kaufman et al., 2015), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS; Simons & Gaher, 2005), Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (Brown et al. 2003), Difficulties in Interpersonal Regulation of Emotions Scale (Dixon-Gordon et al., 2018), an adapted version of the Perceived Barriers to Psychological Treatment (Mohr et al., 2010), and adapted questions from Kuckertz et al., (2020; e.g., Based on what you’ve heard or know about it, what is your overall impression of dialectical‐behavioral therapy (DBT)/DBT groups?). Data analytic plan: Descriptive statistics will be generated for the aforementioned measures to fulfill the study aims. Implications: This study will offer an up-to-date perspective on levels of transdiagnostic risk factors, barriers to attending DBT skills groups, and general acceptability of DBT and skills groups among IPV survivors. Integrating survivors' voices and experiences is a crucial component of engaging in survivor-centered research and creating “survivor-centered models of help” geared toward building services responsive to survivors’ unique needs (Campbell, 2024, p. 379). Findings will help to inform whether DBT skills groups need to be adapted prior to dissemination amongst this population.