Effect of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy on Substance Dependence Intensity and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Patients Under Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Objective: Substance dependence is the most critical biopsychosocial and legal problem. It has various harmful effects at the individual, familial, and society levels. The current study aimed to determine the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on reducing the intensity of substance dependence and improving cognitive emotion regulation in substance-dependent patients under methadone maintenance treatment. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The samples consisted of 30 subjects (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) undergoing methadone maintenance treatment in a methadone maintenance treatment clinic in Kamyaran, Kurdistan Province, Iran. They were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Dependence Severity Index and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were used for data collection. Results: The obtained results suggested that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduced the severity of substance dependence (F=33.2, P<0.05) and influenced positive and negative cognitive emotion regulation (F=545.0, P<0.05). Conclusion: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy affects the intensity of substance dependence and improves cognitive emotion regulation.