Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and metacognitive therapy on psychological distress (stress, anxiety, and depression) in drug addicts

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral(CBT) therapy and metacognitive therapy(MCT) on psychological distress (stress, anxiety and depression) in drug addicts. The research method was a quasi-experiment with pre-test and post-test control group and the statistical population were all drug addicts in Semnan city in the year 2021. Participants were assigned by random sampling into three groups, two experimental groups(cognitive- behavioral therapy and metacognitive therapy) and one control group. The research tool was Laviband and Laviband (1995) depression, anxiety and stress scale. Data analysis was done by multivariate covariance analysis. The findings showed that both interventions were effective in improving psychological distress in drug dependent people. Also, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two treatments (p<0.01). According to the results of the research, cognitive-behavioral therapy and meta-cognitive therapy can be used to improve the mental health of substance dependent people.