Examining the Effectiveness of a Resilience-Based Group Intervention for the Treatment of Youth with Mood and Behavior Dysregulation

Rosen, Heather (Author); The Catholic University of America (Degree granting institution); Rich, Brendan (Thesis advisor); Wagner, Barry (Committee member); Barrueco, Sandra (Committee member); Hsieh-Yee, Ingrid (Committee member); Daughtery, Laura (Committee member)

Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

123

Psychology; children, group psychotherapy, mood dysregulation, resilience

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/cuislandora:53760

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/cuislandora:53760

children; group psychotherapy; mood dysregulation; resilience

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Children presenting with nonepisodic irritability (i.e., chronic and without distinct manic episodes) represent a highly impaired population and one that requires treatment superseding conventional psychosocial methods. However, little scholarly attention has been devoted to identifying empirically-based treatments for these youths. The present study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the effectiveness of a manualized, resilience-based group therapy program, the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP), implemented in a private practice setting with children identified as meeting a severe mood and behavior dysregulation profile (DP). These youths are likely to meet criteria for the severe mood dysregulation (SMD) classification or disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). Pre- and post-therapy multi-informant (parent, child, and teacher) data were collected from 48 DP youths and 83 non-DP youths aged 7 to 12 years to assess for change in functioning across four domains: emotional, behavioral, social, and family. Results demonstrated preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the RBP in improving parent report of emotional and behavioral functioning in DP youths, and such improvements exceeded those displayed by non-DP youths. In particular, DP youths exhibited significant reductions in parent report of depressive symptoms and overall internalizing problems as well as in parent report of externalizing problems, including aggressive behaviors and inattention. Interestingly, neither DP nor non-DP youths significantly improved in domains of social and family functioning following treatment; however, neither group was clinically impaired in areas of social functioning at baseline assessment, and DP youths were clinically impaired on only one measure of family functioning prior to treatment. These results may begin to clarify effective methods of intervention for children with severe deficits in regulating their affect and behavior and provide a foundation for future research and clinical inquiry.

Dissertation

Rosen_cua_0043A_10748.pdf

The Catholic University of America

2016