Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills for Impulsive Aggression

Alexandria University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Impulsive Aggression; ADHD; Executive Dysfunction

Treatments: Drug: psychoeducation or Atomoxetine or stimulants according to ADHD severity; Behavioral: Dialectical behavioral therapy skills for the intervention experimental group A

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05351944

850486055

Details and patient eligibility

About

This trial aims to Study the efficacy of DBT skills for impulsive aggression and executive dysfunctions in drug naïve children who are presented with impulsive aggression and ADHD and attending Child and adolescent clinic at Alexandria university hospitals using weekly group therapy for 8 month and testing pre and posttreatment biomarkers of aggression.

Enrollment: 66 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 6 to 13 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients from 6 to 13-year-old.
• Patients diagnosed with ADHD and presented with impulsive aggression.
• Commitment to therapy from the child and the parent.
• Written consent of all the children parents.
• Male gender.
• Drug naïve or stopped medications for at least one month.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients younger than 6 years of age as it's the starting age for DBT-C.
• Patients who dropped from DBT skills group (missing more than 3 consecutive sessions) whether the child or his parent.
• Patients diagnosed with drug abuse.
• Patients with severe sensory impairment or intellectual disability.
• Drug induced aggression as levetiracetam, topiramate and benzodiazepines.
• Patients diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder or psychotic disorders.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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66 participants in 2 patient groups

The intervention group (group A) DBT skills

Experimental group

Description:

Will attend Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills group for both the children and their parents, DBT is an evidence based comprehensive cognitive behavioral treatment for complex mental disorders and have been adapted for intractable behavioral disorders involving emotion dysregulation, skills will be provided in group therapy as fixed weekly sessions over 9-month duration for all the children and the parents in group A including: 1. Emotion regulation skills module over 8 weeks. 2. Mindfulness skills module over 3 weeks 3. Interpersonal effectiveness skills module over 7 weeks. 4. Distress tolerance skills module over 8 weeks. 5. Walking the middle path skills module over 3 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Dialectical behavioral therapy skills for the intervention experimental group A

the control group (group B)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Will receive psychoeducation and medications targeting ADHD symptoms (stimulants or atomoxetine according to FDA approved dose per age and weight) according to the international guidelines for management of ADHD according to symptom severity, given that assessment before and after intervention will be done by different medical personnel than those providing the intervention for the two groups.

Treatment:

Drug: psychoeducation or Atomoxetine or stimulants according to ADHD severity