Effectiveness of emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills training on coping strategies, emotion regulation, and perceived stress in prisoners

Background: this study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills training on coping strategies, emotion regulation, and perceived stress in prisoners Method:The esearch method of current study was semi experimental method in form of pretest and posttest with the control group.statistical population consisted of 200 prisoners in Fooman Prison in Iran; of individual who had inclusion criteria, 30 members were selected using convenient sampling method then assigned to two experimental and control groups (n=15 in each group). They were match base on education level and age. Experimental group received 12 sessions teaching of emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, while control group were waiting. Both groups filled in coping responses, emotion regulation, and perceived stress reduction questionnaires at baseline and after treatment. Data were analyzed using SPSS21 Software. Results: Emotion regulation and distress tolerance skill training could affect improvement of coping strategies, emotion regulation, and perceived stress reduction in prisoners (P<0.001). Conclusion: Emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills led to improved emotion regulation, coping strategies, and reduced use of emotion-focused coping strategies and decreased perceived stress in prisoners. So we could introduce this approach for emotion regulation in prisoners.