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Feasibility and Acceptability of an E-learning Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Course

NCT07088939 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 40

Last updated 2026-05-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive, third-wave psychological intervention designed for patients with complex and severe behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal dysfunction. DBT has since been adapted to shorter, briefer, "skills training" formats, which have been effective for a number of mild-to-moderate mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. Moreover, internet-delivered formats of DBT (iDBT) have similarly started to build support for their effectiveness, although there are fewer studies on digital formats. One study found that over 12 weeks, iDBT was deemed acceptable (e.g., 50% of participants were still active after 4 weeks) and there were improvements in multiple symptom domains, such as depression, anxiety, suicidality, functional disability, as well as alcohol and substance dependence.

In the current study, the investigators will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a new iDBT intervention, packaged as an online e-learning skills course, with adult participants. The study is a pilot trial as iDBT has never been tested in this format through formal research. Thus, this pilot study aims to examine whether this course is usable, practical, and potentially useful to others in the future. The investigators will recruit up to 40 individuals with mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety for an 8-week study. Following a phone screen to determine eligibility, participants will complete a baseline session where they will provide consent, complete a brief interview and questionnaires, and register for the e-learning skills course. Over the course of 8 weeks, participants will be exposed to material adapted from a DBT manual in a self-guided manner. Participants will complete follow-up assessments at 4 and 8 weeks.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

dialectical behavior therapy

This internet-delivered dialectical behavior therapy (iDBT) intervention consists of an e-learning course with 4 modules based on the 4 areas of skills training in dialectical behavior therapy: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. Participants can work through the modules at a self-guided pace to learn more than 30 specific skills using psychoeducational materials. The intervention incorporates psychoeducational elements of skills training with introductory videos, interactive quizzes, practice and homework suggestions, as well as quotes and videos from individuals with lived experience. In preliminary testing, it was estimated to take approximately 8-10 hours to complete all material.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Windsor

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-07-20
Primary Completion
2026-07-31
Completion
2026-08-01

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07088939 on ClinicalTrials.gov