Effective therapeutic components in Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) for borderline personality disorder.

The study aimed to examine the relative contribution to borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptom change of two potential effective therapeutic components in a manualized group psychotherapy (Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving; STEPPS): development of emotional/behavior regulation skills and group alliance. A repeated measures design assessed BPD symptom change over time, use of behavior and emotion regulation skills taught in STEPPS, and perceptions of global alliance within the group. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression.