The Development of a Culturally-Adapted Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Single-Session Intervention: Encouraging Flexible Control

For African American women, intersectional stress has been theoretically and empirically linked to cognitive and behavioral manifestations of overcontrolled coping. These coping responses may be adaptive in the short-term while contributing to emotional distress in the long-term. Cultural adaptations, which validate extant environmental stressors while exploring flexibility in coping response style, may be critical to enhancing the usefulness and effectiveness of emotion regulation treatments for Black women. To date, there are no culturally-adapted treatments targeting transdiagnostic emotional challenges for African American women. This project combined Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) emotion regulation skills, a Single-Session Intervention (SSI) format, and community-based participatory methods, to develop the first culturally-adapted DBT emotion regulation skills SSI for Black women. The intervention was developed iteratively using literature review, expert consultation, and a series of two focus groups (n = 9) made up of Black women, 18-65, endorsing emotion dysregulation and race-based stress. The final 60-minute, virtual, clinician-led intervention focuses on 1) The Biopsychosocial Model Integrated with Gendered Racial Stress 2) Dialectics of Superwoman/Strong Black Woman Beliefs 3) Reducing Emotional Vulnerability by Addressing Bodily Needs and 4) Behavioral Strategies to Change Emotions and Increase Positive Emotions. Materials for therapists to administer the treatment are included as supplement. Findings indicated that participants found the intervention to be highly acceptable and culturally relevant. This project provides initial support for a novel culturally-adapted DBT emotion regulation skills SSI for African American women. It emphasizes the importance of taking a culturally-responsive approach to understanding emotional challenges and suggests that brief, adapted treatments have the potential to reach and support communities typically marginalized.