The Comparison of Mindfulness and Cognitive Rehabilitation Interventions on Reducing Craving and Emotion Dysregulation in Substance Abusers

The aim of this study was to compare the treatment of mindfulness and cognitive rehabilitation on craving and emotion dysregulation in drug users in Tehran.

This study was a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population of this study was substance abusers referred to specialized clinics for the treatment of substance abuse in Tehran. A total of 47 people from this population were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (mindfulness group = 16 people and cognitive rehabilitation group = 15 people) and a control group (n=16) as the study sample. One experimental group received 8 sessions of mindfulness therapy and the other experimental group received 12 sessions of cognitive rehabilitation. Groups were assessed by the craving scale and the difficulty in emotion regulation scale. Data were analyzed using repeated measures mixed-analysis of variance.

The results showed that mindfulness and cognitive rehabilitation significantly reduced emotion dysregulation and craving in the two experimental groups and mindfulness was more effective in reducing craving.

Therapy based on mindfulness and cognitive rehabilitation can be appropriate therapeutic interventions for the recovery of drug-dependent people by reducing consumption temptation and difficulty in regulating emotion.