The Effectiveness of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment on Psychological Distress and Impulsivity in Adolescents with Suicidal Ideation

Introduction: Identity issues, psychological and emotional traumas, and subsequent depression can lead to suicidal ideation in some adolescents. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment on psychological distress and impulsivity in adolescents experiencing suicidal ideation.
Methods: This applied research employed an experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group structure and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of adolescents with suicidal ideation in Isfahan who visited educational counseling centers in the spring of 2024. A sample of 36 adolescents was selected via purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=18 per group). The experimental group received the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment over ten weekly 90-minute sessions. Data were collected using the Psychological Distress Questionnaire (EDQ), the Impulsivity Questionnaire (IQ), and the Suicidal Thoughts Questionnaire (STQ). Data analysis was performed using mixed ANOVA via SPSS23 software.
Results: The results indicated that the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment had a significant effect on both psychological distress competence (p<0.001, Eta=0.66, F=66.53) and impulsivity competence (p<0.001, Eta=0.63, F=59.52)  in adolescents with suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the treatment successfully reduced both psychological distress and impulsivity at both the posttest and the two-month follow-up stages.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment utilizing emotional awareness training, cognitive and emotional reassessment, identification of emotion avoidance patterns, and cognitive and emotion regulation techniques can serve as an effective intervention for reducing psychological distress and impulsivity in adolescents experiencing suicidal ideation.