Effectiveness of mindfulness-based group therapy in relapse prevention for methamphetamine dependent males

Introduction: The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based group therapy ‎‎(MBGT) in relapse prevention for methamphetamine dependent males. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial used pretest-posttest control group design. Of the methamphetamine-addicted individuals admitted to Pouyandegan-e-Hasti addiction treatment center in Mashhad in 2017, 40 subjects were selected through convenience sampling after the detoxification period and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group attended 9 sessions of mindfulness-based relapse prevention model training while the control group attended the usual group therapy program of the center. The two groups completed Relapse Prediction Scale (RPS) and Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-II) before and after treatment and also Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) in the posttest. The data was analyzed using ‎one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), independent t-test and chi-square test in SPSS-24. ‎ Results: The results demonstrated that MBGT causes decreased drug craving (P=0.001), likelihood of substance abuse (P=0.003) and ‎ depression (P=0.001) and overall improvement (P=0.032) of the experimental group compared to the control ‎group. Further, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of treatment satisfaction ‎‎(P=0.893), but the number of people with relapses in the control group was more than twice as much as the ‎experimental group. ‎ Conclusion: It seems that mindfulness-based group therapy is effective in methamphetamine relapse prevention.