Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Craving, Dependency, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Drug-Dependent Women

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in craving, dependency, and cognitive emotion regulation among drug-dependent women.
A quasi-experimental research design along with pre-/post-test and a control group was employed for the conduct of this study. The research population consisted of all drug-dependent women admitted to addiction treatment centers in the city of Tabriz in the first half of 2015. The number of 30 participants (15 patients in the experimental group and 15 patients in the control group) was selected via convenience sampling method. Brief Substance Craving Scale, Dependency Severity Index, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were used for data collection. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was administered in 10 sessions.
The results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy led to the significant reduction of drug use craving and drug dependence severity and significantly increased the use of positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in drug-dependent women. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective in craving, dependency, and cognitive emotion regulation among drug-dependent women.