Effect of mindfulness based relapse prevention on developmental trends, stress, and substance use among young adults in residential substance use treatment: a randomized controlled trial

Substance use, stress, and early childhood trauma are among the most detrimental catalysts for chronic psychological, behavioral and health related problems. The Institute of Medicine recently released a report on the health and well-being of emerging adults, calling for a more comprehensive investigation of the risks, health, safety, and development of marginalized emerging adults. In a recent meta-analysis on mindfulness based interventions for substance use disorders only one study utilized an emerging adult population – however this study recruited college attending emerging adults. While important, no study has assessed the efficacy of mindfulness based relapse prevention (MBRP) with a sample of emerging adults recruited from a not for profit treatment facility. The current study used a randomized controlled design to assign individuals (N = 79) to receive MBRP or treatment as usual (TAU). Participants were followed for six months with assessments occurring on a bi-monthly basis (two week intervals). At each time point we measured substance use, craving, and stress. Results indicated significant decreases in substance use, stress, and craving for individuals assigned to MBRP versus TAU. Further, mediation models revealed a significant indirect effect for reductions in stress during the treatment phase and both substance use and craving during the post-treatment phase. This study provides further support for the use of mindfulness based interventions and is the first to investigate its utility among a sample of marginalized emerging adults. Further, this study provides support for reductions in perceived stress to act as a mechanism between reductions in both substance use and craving