Treating Perinatal Distress with Virtual Skills Group in Integrated Care Setting
Location
LSUHSC-NO
Publication Date
April 2026
Start Date
9-4-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
9-4-2026 2:00 PM
Description
While dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) was initially created to treat borderline personality disorder, it is an effective treatment for a broad range of mood symptoms and externalizing behaviors (Panos et al., 2014). DBT targets emotional dysregulation, a maladaptive emotional response marked by heightened emotional reactivity, and many psychiatric disorders include difficulties with emotion regulation. Individuals in the perinatal period (pregnancy up to 1 year postpartum) are at increased risk for emotional dysregulation secondary to hormonal changes, increased stress, and reduced sleep (Greaves et al, 2021). It is crucial to address the mental health needs in this population due to the risk of maternal suicide and infanticide. Currently, there is limited research regarding adaptations of DBT for the perinatal population. While perinatal adaptations exist for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), evidence suggests that CBT alone may not be sufficient at targeting emotional dysregulation (Agako et al, 2022). In contrast, DBT skills group as a standalone treatment has been found to significantly reduce emotion dysregulation and increase adaptive coping skills. Preliminary evidence suggests DBT skills increase emotion regulation during the perinatal period, although the study sample sizes are frequently small, homogenous and well resourced (Agako et al, 2022).
Our study aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of DBT skills group within patients of UMC Women's Health Clinic. Participants will attend 10 weeks of skills group focusing on DBT's core principles of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal relationships. Emotion dysregulation, anxiety, and depressive symptoms will be measured using the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item. UMC primarily serves low-income and minority patient populations, both of which have been historically excluded from DBT studies. We chose to conduct skills group virtually to minimize common barriers to care including transportation difficulties and time constraints.
Recommended Citation
Dang, Tiffany MS3; Pereyra, Andrea PhD; and Catanzarite, Kaitlyn PsyD, "Treating Perinatal Distress with Virtual Skills Group in Integrated Care Setting" (2026). Dept. of Psychiatry Research Symposium. 5.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/psych_rd/2026/posters/5
Treating Perinatal Distress with Virtual Skills Group in Integrated Care Setting
LSUHSC-NO
While dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) was initially created to treat borderline personality disorder, it is an effective treatment for a broad range of mood symptoms and externalizing behaviors (Panos et al., 2014). DBT targets emotional dysregulation, a maladaptive emotional response marked by heightened emotional reactivity, and many psychiatric disorders include difficulties with emotion regulation. Individuals in the perinatal period (pregnancy up to 1 year postpartum) are at increased risk for emotional dysregulation secondary to hormonal changes, increased stress, and reduced sleep (Greaves et al, 2021). It is crucial to address the mental health needs in this population due to the risk of maternal suicide and infanticide. Currently, there is limited research regarding adaptations of DBT for the perinatal population. While perinatal adaptations exist for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), evidence suggests that CBT alone may not be sufficient at targeting emotional dysregulation (Agako et al, 2022). In contrast, DBT skills group as a standalone treatment has been found to significantly reduce emotion dysregulation and increase adaptive coping skills. Preliminary evidence suggests DBT skills increase emotion regulation during the perinatal period, although the study sample sizes are frequently small, homogenous and well resourced (Agako et al, 2022).
Our study aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of DBT skills group within patients of UMC Women's Health Clinic. Participants will attend 10 weeks of skills group focusing on DBT's core principles of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal relationships. Emotion dysregulation, anxiety, and depressive symptoms will be measured using the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item. UMC primarily serves low-income and minority patient populations, both of which have been historically excluded from DBT studies. We chose to conduct skills group virtually to minimize common barriers to care including transportation difficulties and time constraints.