Effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on neurocognitive characteristics in adolescents with borderline personality disorder receiving care at Peru’s National Institute of Mental Health

Hurtado C.A.; Guzmán X.A.; Benites S.E.; Camargo N.R. · Revista de Neuro-Psiquiatria (2026) · DOI: 10.20453/rnp.v89i2.7282

Resumen

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescents is associated with a significant decline in quality of life, an increased risk of suicidal and self-harming behaviors, school dropout, difficulties in social functioning, and high psychiatric comorbidity, leading to significant overall dysfunction. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT-A), compared to usual care, on attention, memory, mentalization, and general functioning in adolescents with BPD, at the end of the intervention and 2 months post-intervention. Materials and methods: Observational, quasi-experimental, longitudinal study conducted with 24 adolescents with BPD, divided into an intervention group that received DBT-A and a control group that received usual care psychotherapy. Assessments were performed before the intervention, at the end of the 6-month treatment period, and at the 2-month follow-up. The d2-R and the Processing Speed Index (PSI) of the Wechsler scales were used to assess attention; For memory, the Neuropsi Memory subscale and the Working Memory Index (WMI) of the Wechsler scales were used; for mentalization, the Reading Mind Through Gaze Test (RMET) and the Cambridge Behavior Scales; and for general functioning, the Borderline Personality Disorder Symptom List (BSL-23) and the Children and Adolescents Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS). Results: At the end of the intervention and at 2 months post-intervention, adolescents who received DBT-A showed a significant improvement in general functioning compared to those who received usual psychotherapy. The adjusted linear regression model showed a significant association between DBT-A and C-GAS scores at the end of the intervention (p = 0.001) and at 2 months post-intervention (p = 0.039). Conclusions: DBT-A showed significant effectiveness in the studied sample, evidenced by an improvement in overall functioning at the end of the intervention and at 2 months post-intervention, as well as in attention and memory at 2 months post-intervention. Artículo de acceso abierto, distribuido bajo los términos de la Licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional. © Los autores