The effectiveness of Brief Dialectical Behavior Therapy on internalized shame and social comparison among female students with problematic social media use
Determining the Effectiveness of Short-Term Group Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Reducing Internalized Shame and Social Comparison in Individuals with Problematic Social Media Use
Design
A randomized, single-blind, phase 3 clinical trial with experimental and control groups, conducted on 24 participants
Settings and conduct
Twelve participants from one of the classrooms of Khorasan Institute of Higher Education will receive twelve sessions of group Dialectical Behavior Therapy training.
Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled who scored above 100 on the Cook Internalized Shame Scale, above 30 on the Social Comparison Orientation Scale by Gibbons and Buunk, and above 5 on the Problematic Social Media Use Questionnaire by van den Eijnden; who do not have severe psychiatric disorders or use psychotropic medications (based on self-report or an initial interview); and who have completed and submitted a written informed consent form to the researcher
Intervention groups
The experimental group underwent 12 sessions of 90 minutes each of Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
Main outcome variables
Reduction of internalized shame – reduction of social comparison tendency
General information
Reason for update
Acronym
IRCT registration information
IRCT registration number:IRCT20251227068462N1
Registration date:2026-01-04, 1404/10/14
Registration timing:prospective
Last update:2026-01-04, 1404/10/14
Update count:0
Registration date
2026-01-04, 1404/10/14
Registrant information
Name
Akram Shariati
Name of organization / entity
KHORASAN INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Country
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Phone
+98 51 3501 9980
Email address
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Recruitment status
Recruitment complete
Funding source
Expected recruitment start date
2026-01-10, 1404/10/20
Expected recruitment end date
2026-01-20, 1404/10/30
Actual recruitment start date
empty
Actual recruitment end date
empty
Trial completion date
empty
Scientific title
The effectiveness of Brief Dialectical Behavior Therapy on internalized shame and social comparison among female students with problematic social media use
Public title
The effectiveness of brief Dialectical Behavior Therapy on internalized shame and social comparisonon Individuals with problematic social media use
Purpose
Education/Guidance
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria:
Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled
Individuals who scored above 100 on the Cook Internalized Shame Scale, above 30 on the Social Comparison Orientation Scale by Gibbons and Buunk, and above 5 on the Problematic Social Media Use Questionnaire by van den Eijnden
Absence of severe psychiatric disorders or use of psychotropic medications (based on self-report or an initial interview)
Completion and written submission of an informed consent form to the researcher
Ages 20 to 30
Exclusion criteria:
During the course of the study, participants who were absent from more than two weekly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) sessions would be excluded from the study
Receiving concurrent psychological treatments
Age
From 20 years old to 30 years old
Gender
Female
Phase
3
Groups that have been masked
Data analyser
Sample size
Target sample size:
24
Randomization (investigator's opinion)
Not randomized
Randomization description
Blinding (investigator's opinion)
Single blinded
Blinding description
The data analyst was blinded to participants’ group allocation
Placebo
Not used
Assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Secondary Ids
empty
Ethics committees
1
Ethics committee
Name of ethics committee
Ethics Committee for Biomedical Research of Ferdowsi University
Before the intervention – immediately after the intervention – one month after the end
Method of measurement
Internalized Shame Questionnaire
2
Description
Reduction of Social Comparison
Timepoint
Before the intervention – immediately after the intervention – one month after the end
Method of measurement
Social Comparison Questionnaire
Secondary outcomes
empty
Intervention groups
1
Description
Twelve individuals who meet the study inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to the intervention group. Prior to the commencement of the intervention, complete information regarding the objectives, procedures, and implementation of the treatment sessions will be provided to the participants in the experimental group, and written informed consent will be obtained from all research participants. Subsequently, participants will attend twelve 90-minute Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) sessions, held twice a week. The sessions will be conducted in person in one of the classrooms at Khorasan University, and all stages of the study will be carried out in accordance with research ethical principles.The group sessions are designed based on the educational content and exercises of Linehan’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual (2018 Persian edition) and will be implemented as a short-term program as follows:Introduction and orientation to therapy, session rules, and introduction to mindfulness skillsPractice of mindfulness skills: observing, describing, and participatingAdvanced mindfulness skills: reasonable mind, emotional mind, and wise mindIntroduction to distress tolerance, the STOP skill, and practicing coping with crisesApplication of self-soothing skills and radical acceptanceIntroduction to emotion regulation skills: understanding emotions and reducing emotional vulnerabilityIncreasing positive emotions, identifying barriers, and enhancing emotional awarenessControlling negative impulses and maintaining calm in challenging situationsIntroduction to interpersonal effectiveness skills: assertiveness and effective requestingMaintaining relationships, saying no, and practicing mutual respectIntegration of skills and combined application of DBT skills in daily life situationsSummary, evaluation of progress, and planning for continued practice
Category
Behavior
2
Description
The control group will not receive any training.
Category
Other
Recruitment centers
1
Recruitment center
Name of recruitment center
Counseling center of Khorasan institute of higher Education
Full name of responsible person
Hossein Farrokhi
Street address
Amouzegar82 Street, Mashhad
City
Mashhad
Province
Razavi Khorasan
Postal code
9189863113
Phone
+98 51 3502 8601
Email
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Sponsors / Funding sources
1
Sponsor
Name of organization / entity
Khorasan Institute of Higher Education
Full name of responsible person
Ali Khorrami
Street address
Amouzegar82 Street, Mashhad
City
Mashhad
Province
Razavi Khorasan
Postal code
9189863113
Phone
+98 51 3502 8601
Email
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Grant name
Grant code / Reference number
Is the source of funding the same sponsor organization/entity?
Yes
Title of funding source
Khorasan Institute of Higher Education
Proportion provided by this source
100
Public or private sector
Private
Domestic or foreign origin
Domestic
Category of foreign source of funding
empty
Country of origin
Type of organization providing the funding
Academic
Person responsible for general inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Khorasan Institute of Higher Education
Full name of responsible person
Akram Shariati
Position
Student
Latest degree
Bachelor
Other areas of specialty/work
Psychology
Street address
Amouzegar 82 Street, Mashhad
City
Mashhad
Province
Razavi Khorasan
Postal code
9179733178
Phone
+98 915 157 6017
Email
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Person responsible for scientific inquiries
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Khorasan Institute of Higher Education
Full name of responsible person
Akram Shariati
Position
Student
Latest degree
Bachelor
Other areas of specialty/work
Psychology
Street address
Amuzegar82
City
Mashhad
Province
Razavi Khorasan
Postal code
9189863113
Phone
+98 51 3502 8601
Email
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Person responsible for updating data
Contact
Name of organization / entity
Khorasan Institute of Higher Education
Full name of responsible person
Akram Shariati
Position
Student
Latest degree
Bachelor
Other areas of specialty/work
Psychology
Street address
Amuzegar82
City
Mashhad
Province
Razavi Khorasan
Postal code
9189863113
Phone
+98 51 3502 8601
Email
shariatii.a@gmail.com
Sharing plan
Deidentified Individual Participant Data Set (IPD)
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Study Protocol
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Statistical Analysis Plan
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Informed Consent Form
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Clinical Study Report
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Analytic Code
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available
Data Dictionary
Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available