Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention Group Therapy and Treatment as Usual on Shame and Self-criticism in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder: A Comparative Investigation

Shame and self-criticism are two variables that refer to negative self-assessment. Such negative self-assessments cause unpleasant emotions, which are among the known factors involved in drug abuse and relapse.

This study aimed to compare mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) group therapy and treatment as usual (TAU) in terms of their effect on shame and self-criticism in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD).

The current quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design was conducted on 36 patients who met the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) criteria for OUD. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received a combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU, and the other group was treated only by TAU. The participants filled out the Other as Shamer Scale and the Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The data were statistically analyzed using a mixed-design analysis of variance.

Our results indicated that the mean score of shame significantly decreased in the follow-up compared to pretest and posttest. Moreover, the combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU was significantly more effective than TAU alone. The posttest and follow-up mean scores of the participants who received a combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU were significantly lower than those treated only with TAU.

The study results showed that MBRP could be considered an effective therapeutic approach for reducing shame and self-criticism in individuals with OUD.