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Utility of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as an Intervention for Adolescents in Residential Care: A Scoping Review and Critical Reflections

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Title: Utility of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as an Intervention for Adolescents in Residential Care: A Scoping Review and Critical Reflections
Language: English
Authors: Lena Catherine Lossius Westby (ORCID 0000-0002-0638-0003), Stian H. Thoresen (ORCID 0000-0001-8603-7426)
Source: Child Care in Practice. 2026 32(1):85-103.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Descriptors: Behavior Modification, Adolescents, Residential Programs, Psychotherapy, Institutionalized Persons, Foreign Countries, Psychiatry, Hospitals, Mental Health, Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, Program Effectiveness, Drug Rehabilitation, Suicide, Intervention, Depression (Psychology)
Geographic Terms: Norway, United States, Canada, United Kingdom
DOI: 10.1080/13575279.2025.2585034
ISSN: 1357-5279
1476-489X
Abstract: Objective: This scoping review aimed to collate the evidence of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as an intervention for institutionalised adolescents. Introduction: While DBT has been identified as a suitable and effective intervention for persons with borderline personality disorders and suicidal behaviours, particularly women, it has also been adapted and is being used as an intervention for other cohorts. There is limited knowledge of the suitability of DBT for other groups and in other settings, such as Child Welfare Services residential care and outside the Anglosphere. Inclusion criteria: There were four inclusion criteria for this scoping review: (i) empirical studies; (ii) outcomes for youth (minimum one participant aged 12--17); (iii) reporting on DBT or a variation/adaptation of DBT; and (iv) DBT was administered in a residential care or institutional setting. There were no date restrictions. Methods: This scoping review has been registered in PROSPERO. Structured searches were carried out in five academic databases in April 2021 (CINAHL, ERIC, EMBASE, PsychInfo, and Scopus) and records were imported into Covidence, an online systematic review management system, for screening (n = 2,181). Duplicate records were removed (n = 113) prior to title screening (1,851 records removed) and abstract screening (171 records removed). Following full-text review (n = 46), and inclusion of additional records through citation/ancestry searches, a total of 14 studies were included in this scoping review. Results: Only one study was identified outside the Anglosphere (Norway), with the majority of studies originating in the USA (n = 11), with an additional study from Canada and one from the UK. The majority of studies were carried out in adolescent mental health institutions or psychiatric inpatient units (n = 9), with the remaining studies related to juvenile justice (n = 3), substance use (n = 1), and child welfare institutions (n = 1). Conclusion: There is limited evidence of cultural adaptation when implementing DBT in juvenile residential care settings.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1500752
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Utility of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as an Intervention for Adolescents in Residential Care: A Scoping Review and Critical Reflections
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lena+Catherine+Lossius+Westby%22">Lena Catherine Lossius Westby</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0638-0003">0000-0002-0638-0003</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stian+H%2E+Thoresen%22">Stian H. Thoresen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8603-7426">0000-0001-8603-7426</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Child+Care+in+Practice%22"><i>Child Care in Practice</i></searchLink>. 2026 32(1):85-103.
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 19
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Information Analyses
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior+Modification%22">Behavior Modification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adolescents%22">Adolescents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Residential+Programs%22">Residential Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychotherapy%22">Psychotherapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutionalized+Persons%22">Institutionalized Persons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychiatry%22">Psychiatry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hospitals%22">Hospitals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+Health%22">Mental Health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Juvenile+Justice%22">Juvenile Justice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Welfare%22">Child Welfare</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+Rehabilitation%22">Drug Rehabilitation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Suicide%22">Suicide</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intervention%22">Intervention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Depression+%28Psychology%29%22">Depression (Psychology)</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Norway%22">Norway</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
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  Data: 10.1080/13575279.2025.2585034
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1357-5279<br />1476-489X
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: This scoping review aimed to collate the evidence of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as an intervention for institutionalised adolescents. Introduction: While DBT has been identified as a suitable and effective intervention for persons with borderline personality disorders and suicidal behaviours, particularly women, it has also been adapted and is being used as an intervention for other cohorts. There is limited knowledge of the suitability of DBT for other groups and in other settings, such as Child Welfare Services residential care and outside the Anglosphere. Inclusion criteria: There were four inclusion criteria for this scoping review: (i) empirical studies; (ii) outcomes for youth (minimum one participant aged 12--17); (iii) reporting on DBT or a variation/adaptation of DBT; and (iv) DBT was administered in a residential care or institutional setting. There were no date restrictions. Methods: This scoping review has been registered in PROSPERO. Structured searches were carried out in five academic databases in April 2021 (CINAHL, ERIC, EMBASE, PsychInfo, and Scopus) and records were imported into Covidence, an online systematic review management system, for screening (n = 2,181). Duplicate records were removed (n = 113) prior to title screening (1,851 records removed) and abstract screening (171 records removed). Following full-text review (n = 46), and inclusion of additional records through citation/ancestry searches, a total of 14 studies were included in this scoping review. Results: Only one study was identified outside the Anglosphere (Norway), with the majority of studies originating in the USA (n = 11), with an additional study from Canada and one from the UK. The majority of studies were carried out in adolescent mental health institutions or psychiatric inpatient units (n = 9), with the remaining studies related to juvenile justice (n = 3), substance use (n = 1), and child welfare institutions (n = 1). Conclusion: There is limited evidence of cultural adaptation when implementing DBT in juvenile residential care settings.
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Behavior Modification
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