Comparison of the Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Skills Training on Symptoms of Men Suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common disorder, associated with different biological and psychological parameters. However, further research is required to determine the optimal therapeutic methods and conditions, which can produce better outcomes for BDP patients. Objectives: This research aimed to compare the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills training on the symptoms of male patients with BPD. Methods: This comparative quasi-experimental study was performed with a pre-test, post-test design on 3 groups (2 experimental and 1 control). The statistical population consisted of all male patients, hospitalized at Farshchian Psychiatric hospital, affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences from April to October 2016. Availability sampling method was applied to select the subjects, and simple random sampling was used for replacement of subjects. In this study, out of 36 selected patients, 27 were studied. The patients’ symptoms were evaluated, using BPD Severity Index (BPDSI). The study was carried out in 3 stages of initial assessment, therapeutic intervention, and follow-up. Drug therapy, along with CBT, was implemented for the experimental group 1, while DBT skills training and drug therapy were applied for the experimental group 2. To analyze the data, repeated measures ANOVA was performed, using SPSS. Results: The findings showed that both CBT and DBT skills training could reduce the symptoms of BPD (F[2, 24], 42.276, P < 0.05). Conclusions: With respect to the effect size measurements for CBT (Eta2, 0.67) and DBT skills training (Eta2, 0.85), it can be concluded that the effect size of DBT skills training was greater than CBT in reducing the symptoms of BPD.