Comparison of the Factors Affecting the Treatment of Substance-Dependent Individuals with Relapse, without Relapse, and under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

The present study aimed to compare the factors affecting sustainable treatment of substance-dependent individuals with relapse, without relapse, and under methadone maintenance treatment. The present research was a causal-comparative study. A total of 150 people were selected as research sample using a convenient sampling method. The research instrument included Cloninger’s Temperament & Character Inventory (TCI) and a researcher-made questionnaire of family, emotional (mood), environmental, and occupational-financial factors. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the three groups regarding occupational and financial factors, so that the mean scores on occupational-financial factors were higher in the methadone maintenance treatment group. Also, the three groups were different from each other regarding the personality factor of harm avoidance and cooperativeness, so that the mean scores on cooperativeness were higher in the group without relapse than the other two groups, and the mean scores on harm avoidance were higher in the group with relapse than in the other two groups. Therefore, it can be said that family support, the acceptance of substance-dependent individuals as a patient in the family, trust in them, as well as the collaboration of the members and their participation in the substance-dependent treatment program can play an important role in preventing relapse. In addition, given that individuals with high scores on harm avoidance are at risk of returning to substance use, identifying these individuals and further monitoring their performance can be effective on more sustainable treatment, and consequently, the rate of damage caused by substance dependence and relapse is reduced in these individuals. Occupational factors also play a critical role in sustainable treatment. Hence, it can be said that having an occupation and occupational skills also contribute to the sustainability of substance-dependence treatment. Therefore, the need to create occupational opportunities to prevent relapse is emphasized.