Physiological and behavioral effects of interpersonal validation: A multilevel approach to examining a core intervention strategy among self-injuring adolescents and their mothers

Objective The current study examined how teaching an interpersonal validation-oriented skill from dialectical behavior therapy affects behavioral and biological indices of self-inflicted injury (SII) risk among self-injuring adolescents and their mothers (n = 30 dyads), and typical control mother-daughter dyads (n = 30). Method Behavioral indicators of family functioning (e.g., cohesion, coercion, and invalidation) and a physiological index of emotion dysregulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) were examined across two conflict tasks (pre- and postskills training). Results Dyads' subjective affect and observed behavior generally improved when practicing validation. Findings indicate mother-, daughter-, and dyad-level behavior accounted for significant variance in RSA reactivity. Conclusions Results demonstrate that teaching a single skill on one occasion can have detectable effects on biosocial functioning, with important implications for the etiology and treatment of SII.