Outcomes of an emotion regulation intervention group in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Hartmann et al. Outcomes of an emotion regulation intervention group

Comportamiento suicida en el trastorno del espectro autista

“…Por otra parte, aunque el enfoque predominante es la terapia conductual cognitiva, en los últimos años se han propuesto otras alternativas convincentes, por ejemplo, la adaptación de la terapia dialéctica conductual en personas con TEA para la regulación de las emociones e intervención de comportamientos suicidas. En ese sentido, un estudio en adultos basado en terapia dialéctica conductual demostró cambios significativos en la angustia global, donde uno de los subdominios de evaluación era el riesgo de daño a sí mismo o a los demás (Cornwall et al, 2020), mientras que otro estudio de intervención grupal evidenció resultados favorables en la regulación de las emociones como un medio para mejorar el comportamiento social, donde se reportaron mejoras significativas en la interacción y comunicación social (Hartmann et al, 2019). Dado el avance de las tecnologías y la ciencia abierta en el mundo de la investigación, actualmente existen protocolos registrados de ensayos clínicos multicéntricos aún en desarrollo.…”

Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Autistic Adults without Intellectual Disability: A Mixed Methods Study

“…The first study (Conner & White, 2018 ) evaluated the feasibility and the preliminary efficacy of a 6-week individual mindfulness intervention aiming to enhance emotion regulation abilities. The second study (Hartmann et al, 2019 ) assessed the effectiveness of a 12-week CBT- and DBT-informed group intervention aiming to enhance emotion regulation and social communication abilities. These studies have some limitations, however.…”

“…First, the severity of the ED was not considered; second, individuals with severe comorbidities were excluded in the study by Conner and White ( 2018 ) and those with suicidal ideation were excluded in the study by Hartmann et al ( 2019 ). Importantly, the intervention used in the study by Hartmann et al ( 2019 ) mainly targeted social communication difficulties, hence the in-session practices focused exclusively on social situations. Findings on psychological treatments for ED associated with self-harm and suicidal behaviors in autistic adults without ID are therefore lacking.…”

“…In autistic individuals, DBT has been recommended to treat ED but its feasibility and preliminary efficacy have not been investigated (Hartmann et al, 2012 ; Mazefsky and White, 2014 ). Indeed, the preliminary study by Hartmann et al ( 2019 ) is the only one that partially incorporated DBT skills and principles. Their results showed no significant improvement in emotion regulation among autistic participants, but they found a significant improvement in social communication, which was a major focus of their treatment.…”

“…Given the high prevalence of ED, self-harm and suicidal behaviors in autistic adults without ID (Hirvikoski et al, 2016 ; Steenfeldt-Kristensen et al, 2020 ), the lack of evidence-based psychological treatments targeting severe ED in these adults (Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al, 2013 ; Shattuck et al, 2020 ), and the potential usefulness of DBT in ASD (Hartmann et al, 2012 , 2019 ), it seems crucial to investigate the feasibility and utility of DBT in this population. This could foster research on the treatment of severe ED in autistic adults without ID and, more importantly, address their clinical needs (Murphy et al, 2016 ).…”