Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Iranian Male Drug Addicts at a State Rehabilitation Center.

INTRODUCTION The present study aimed at examining the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention on measures of self-efficacy and level of relapse for abstinence among Iranian male drug addicts. METHODS An experimental research design was adopted in the current study in which the participants consisted of 75 male drug addicts who were consecutively admitted as outpatients at a state rehabilitation center. They were randomly allocated to experimental (N=37) and control (N=38) groups. They completed the Iranian version of Drug Taking Confidence Questionnaire (DTCQ-IV) and took urine test as pre-test and post-test. The CBT group intervention was conducted at 12 sessions, one session per week. It was hypothesized that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups regarding self-efficacy and level of relapse. RESULT The results of ANCOVA showed there were significant differences in pleasant emotion and testing control between the two groups on measures of self-efficacy. The results of McNemar test indicated level of relapse in the experimental group significantly declined from pre-test to post-test. Furthermore, using Chi-square analysis, a significant difference (with a moderate effect size) was found in the levels of relapse. CONCLUSION The present study provides strong support for CBT group intervention as an effective treatment for Iranian male drug addicts. Therefore, CBT group intervention can be considered as a practical approach in the treatment of people with SUDs.