The Effects of Educational Intervention based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Emotional Regulation and Self-control after Discharge in Patients with COVID-19

Aims: One of the important causes of anxiety in COVID-19 is the inability to regulate emotion and lack of self-control during threatening conditions. Psychotherapy techniques have been effective in reducing psychological disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on the emotional regulation and self-control of these patients. Materials Methods: It was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study with a control group. The statistical population included 30 men who were undergoing COVID-19 quarantine. Available sampling was used and individuals were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, dialectical behavior therapy was performed in 10 sessions of 90 minutes. Tangi self-control and Garnofsky emotion regulation questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software and multivariate analysis of covariance. Findings: There was a significant difference between the mean scores of emotional regulation and self-control variables in the experimental and control groups (p 0.05). The effect of this treatment on increasing the emotional regulation score was 27% and on increasing the self-control score was 15%. Conclusion: Dialectical behavior therapy can increase cognitive regulation and improve self-control in patients with COVID-19. It is suggested that this intervention be used in psychological treatment programs.