CHAIN ANALYSIS OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR:




1. VULNERABILTY FACTORS ( a.k.a Contextual Events, Setting Events): Environmental events or series of events or important personal factors such as "states of mind", affective/mood states or biological factors) that reliably make the person more vulnerable to the efforts of precipitating events. INTERVENTIONS: Contingency management, self-management skills

LEADS TO:

2. THE PRECIPITATING EVENT (a.k.a Environmental Precipitants, Triggers, Cues, Antecedents): Environmental events that precipitate the chain that leads to the targeted problem behaviour. (I.e. Fight with house mate) INTERVENTIONS: Core Mindfulness, Interpersonal Skills

LEADS TO:

3. THOUGHTS /ACTIONS, FEELINGS BEFORE, FEELINGS AFTER, CONSEQUENCES

(I.e. Self Invalidation ---- "I can't stand this!" INTERVENTIONS: Increase self-validation, distress tolerance skills,

LEADS TO:

Emotion Dysregulation: Shame/Panic, Sea of Dyscontrol/Active Passivity INTERVENTIONS: Active Problem solving, exposure and response prevention

Impulsive decision to cut: cutting with razor: INTERVENTIONS: Active Problem solving, exposure and response prevention

Consequences: immediate emotion regulation and communication of distress

A) DYSFUNCTIONAL LINKS (Each thought, emotion, action, and event that linked the vulnerability factors and precipitants to the targeted behavior. A link is dysfunctional if it moves the client away from their long-term goals. Dysfunctional links might include any of the following:

DBT Skills Deficits: Skill deficits in mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance related to problem behaviour.

Secondary Targets: IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETED PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR

Secondary Targets to decrease: emotional vulnerability, self-invalidation, crisis generating behaviours, inhibited grieving, active passivity, and apparent competence

B) EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR: Secondary Targets to increase: emotion modulation, self-validation, realistic judgement, emotional experiencing, active problem solving, accurate expression and non-mood dependency

Variables Specific to this Person (in addition to above) Any specific emotions AND/OR cognitive patterns, AND/OR action sequences that precipitate/support the targeted problem behaviours or inhibit/punish effective behaviours that could replace problem behaviours.

CONSEQUENCES (a.k.a. processes of reinforcement, punishment, and extinction) Events or responses that are functionally related to critical targeted behaviours. Assess rather that assume whether events are in fact reinforcing and/or punishing for this particular client and describe under what circumstances (context) these acts as reinforcers or punishers. Try to ascertain the most effective level of intensity and a punishment at a different level. The same can be said of the similar events in different contexts.

Reinforcers (positive and negative) of problem behaviours. A common negative reinforcer is the reduction of aversive affective states. Also identify any positive reinforcers (things added to the environment) Note any relevant changes from reinforcer (things added to the environment). Note any relevant changes from reinforcers to punishment at different intensities or within different contexts.

Punishers (aversive consequences) of effective behaviour. Describe both punishments that currently control problem behaviours as well as aversive events that have been or might be used to control problem behaviours.

1. What exactly is the major PROBLEM BEHAVIOR that I am analyzing?

Vulnerability -> Prompting event -> Links-> Problem Behaviour ->Consequences

Possible type of links: Actions, Body Sensations, Cognitions, Events, and Feelings

2. What PROMPTING EVENT in the environment started me on the chain to my problem behaviour?: Start Day/hour:___

3. What things in my environment and myself made me VULNERABLE? Start Day/hour___

4. LINKS: List actual and specific behaviors and events

5. LINKS: List new and more skillful behaviors

6. What exactly were the CONSQUENCES in the environment:

7. Immediate: ______ Delayed:_________

8. 7. What exactly were the CONSQUENCES in myself:

9. Immediate: ______ Delayed:_________

10. Ways to reduce my VULNERABILITY in the future:

11. Ways to prevent PROMPTING EVENT from happening again:

12. What HARM did my PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR CAUSE:

13. Plans to REPAIR, CORRECT, AND OVER-CORRECT the harm:

14. MY DEEPEST THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT THIS (THAT I WANT TO SHARE):


Source:Linehan Training Group\Workshop History\Intensive Workshops\Seattle 98-99\Training materials\Materials for Participants\Guidelines Case Formulation Assignment.


  • DBT Chain Analysis of Problem Behavior PDF



    • as of April 27, 2004