The effect of the motivational interview on temptation and recurrence of Buprenorphine-treated patients

Drug abuse is one of the global problems and despite the effectiveness of treatment methods, it often recurs over time.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of motivational interviews on temptation and relapse in patients treated with Buprenorphine referred to addiction treatment clinics.

The research was applied and quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group, the study population was patients treated with Buprenorphine who were referred to addiction treatment clinics in Marivan in 2020. In this study, 42 people were selected by random sampling method and assigned to two groups of 21 intervention and control. Data collection tools included a substance use temptation questionnaire after withdrawal, a return prediction questionnaire along laboratory tests. Data were analyzed using STATA-12 and SPSS-25 using descriptive and inferential statistical tests of Wilcoxon, Man Whitney and Pearson's chi-squared test.

The results showed that intervention and control groups were statistically homogeneous. Before the intervention, the mean score of temptation was 74.42±11.31 and recurrence was 121.80±7.80. After the intervention, the mean score of temptation was reduced to (51.33±9.15) and recurrence of consumption was reduced to (108.76±10.62); therefore, there was a statistically significant difference between intervention and control groups (p<0.001).

The results showed that motivational interview was effective on the rate of temptation and recurrence of patients. Therefore, designing and using motivational interviews is recommended for caregivers in the psychiatric and addiction wards along with other addiction therapies.