Abstract
- Objective: Preliminary findings suggest dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)‐informed partial hospital (PH) programs can reduce patient symptoms. The present study assessed changes in various mental health symptoms as well as mindfulness skill acquisition in relation to these outcomes in a DBT‐informed PH program . Method: Participants included 212 adults, ages 18–66 (Mean = 35.63, Standard Deviation = 12.39). The sample was predominantly female (N = 140, 66.00%) and Caucasian (N = 185, 87.30%). Results: Findings showed significant symptom reduction (i.e., depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and degree of suffering) from intake to discharge. Overall mindfulness skill acquisition significantly increased from intake to discharge, and specific scales of mindfulness acquisition accounted for significant proportions of the variance in symptom reduction for depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Mindfulness skill acquisition may be a mechanism by which DBT impacts symptom reduction in PH settings. Future studies might examine mindfulness practice to determine optimum doses.