The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Self-Compassion and Self-Criticism in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder

Objective: Substance use disorder is one of the chronic and debilitating disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on self-compassion and self-criticism in individuals with opioid use disorder. Method: The present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. Thirty people with opioid use disorder referred to Granmehr and Game-no addiction treatment centers in Mashhad were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly placed into two experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The participants in the experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy for 8 sessions, but the participants in the control group did not receive any treatment. Participants responded to the self-compassion scale and the self-criticism scale. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the variables of self-compassion and self-criticism. In other words, acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in increasing self-compassion and reducing self-criticism in individuals with opioid use disorder. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that therapists and other mental health professionals can use acceptance and commitment therapy to improve self-compassion and self-criticism in individuals with opioid use disorder.