Emotional Adaptation Using a Program Based on Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in Patients with Substance Use...

Disturbances in emotion regulation and emotional adaptation are common problems in drug users. This issue affects the quality of life in different dimensions. Therefore, training these people in cognitive emotion regulation strategies as a supplement to drug treatment helps improve their adaptation skills. In this study, we investigated the effect of a training program based on the cognitive emotion regulation on the emotional adaptation of patients with substance use disorder.

This study was a double-blinded randomized controlled trial that was conducted in 2022-23. Forty-eight men with substance use disorder (SUD) under methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) participated in the study. The participants were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention consisted of six training sessions based on the cognitive regulation of emotion. The emotional adjustment was examined using the Emotional Adjustment Measure (EAM) before and 1 month after the end of the intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics, such as independent and paired t-tests were used for data analysis.

Forty-eight male patients with SUD under MMT participated in the present study. There was a significant difference in the mean score of the EAM between the intervention and the control group after conducting the intervention (p = 0.012).

Educational programs based on emotion regulation can play a significant role in improving emotional adaptation in patients with substance use disorder. Therefore, this educational program is suggested as a complementary psychological approach to improving the level of psychological health of patients with substance use disorder.