Exploring heterogeneity in recovery from substance use disorder following mindfulness-based relapse prevention: A...

Substance use disorder (SUD) recovery is heterogeneous. Yet, over the last 50 years, substance use treatment providers and researchers have often defined success as sustained abstinence from substance use. An often overlooked but equally valid pathway to recovery for persons with SUD is non-abstinent recovery. However, most of the literature on non-abstinent recovery exists for individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) with few studies of non-abstinent recovery for other types of SUD. Literature exploring the mechanisms that lead to non-abstinent recovery is also lacking. As such, the current study aimed to examine recovery profiles for individuals (N = 454) recruited in two randomized clinical trials comparing mindfulness-based relapse prevention with cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention and/or treatment as usual.

Latent profile analysis empirically derived profiles of recovery following outpatient aftercare SUD treatment. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between treatment assignment and recovery profile, including potential psychological mediators (e.g., mindfulness) and contextual moderators (e.g., annual household income).

Analyses supported four recovery profiles: (1) low-functioning frequent substance use; (2) low-functioning infrequent substance use; (3) high-functioning frequent substance use; (4) high-functioning infrequent substance use. There were no significant interaction effects of race or ethnicity by treatment type, or household income by treatment type, in predicting recovery profiles. Trait mindfulness, craving, and psychological flexibility failed to mediate the association between treatment assignment and recovery profile; however, there were statistically significant differences in trait mindfulness with individuals expected to be classified in the low-functioning infrequent substance use profile showing significantly lower levels of trait mindfulness compared to individuals in the two high-functioning profiles.

Findings suggest that recovery from SUD is heterogeneous, and profiles of recovery based on dimensions of substance use and functioning can be identified across a variety of SUD, including among people with co-occurring SUD. Additionally, trait mindfulness appears to be a differentiating factor across recovery profiles. Further research is needed to explore how psychological and social factors may moderate and influence both abstinent and non-abstinent forms of recovery.