Comparison of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, and Motivational Interviewing on Intentional Self-Regulation in Individuals with Substance Use Disorder under Maintenance Therapy

The present research aimed to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing on intentional self-regulation in individuals with substance use disorder under maintenance therapy.

This research was a semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all men with substance use disorder under treatment in Robat Karim from March 2020 to May 2021, from which a sample of 71 people was selected using a cluster random sampling method and randomly placed into three experimental groups and one control group. The intentional self-regulation questionnaire was used to collect the data. The experimental groups underwent group therapy based on acceptance and commitment, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness for ten 50-minute sessions, but the control group did not receive any intervention.

The findings showed that the difference between the experimental and control groups was significant in all three approaches and mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and motivational interviewing had the greatest impact on intentional self-regulation, respectively, in individuals with substance use disorder under maintenance therapy.

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that individuals with substance use disorder can achieve more intentional self-regulation by learning techniques based on mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and motivational interviewing, but mindfulness techniques and acceptance and commitment therapy are more successful than motivational interviewing in this regard.