Smartphone-Delivered MBRP and Quality of Life among Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder: A Pilot Before-After Study
Shadi Dashtbani1, Hadi Ramesh2, Narges Norouzkhani3
1Department of Health Information Technology Varastegan Institute for Medical Sciences Mashhad Iran.
Background:
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) combines mindfulness practice with relapse-prevention strategies and has demonstrated efficacy in improving psychological well-being among individuals with substance use disorders. This pilot study evaluated quality-of-life changes following an audio-based mobile MBRP application delivered as an adjunct to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Materials And Methods:
This single-arm before-after study included 14 male participants with OUD receiving MMT at two addiction treatment clinics. Participants used the MBRP application for 8 weeks alongside routine care. Quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Session completion was monitored through weekly clinician-verified contacts. Substance use and relapse status were monitored descriptively as secondary clinical indicators.
Results:
Mean SF-36 scores increased from 40.34 ± 11.26 at baseline to 66.57 ± 13.39 post-intervention and remained above baseline at follow-up (57.76 ± 10.89). Significant improvements were observed from baseline to post-intervention (mean difference = 26.23, 95% CI: 17.73-34.73, p < 0.001, Cohen's dz = 1.78) and from baseline to follow-up (mean difference = 17.42, 95% CI: 11.84-22.99, p < 0.001, Cohen's dz = 1.80). Session-completion rate was 92.9% (mean = 7.43 sessions per participant). At follow-up, 11 participants (78.6%) remained free of documented illicit opioid use; three (21.4%) had documented relapse events, reported descriptively given the uncontrolled design.
Conclusion:
Participation in the mobile MBRP application was associated with quality-of-life improvements remaining above baseline at 3-month follow-up, supporting feasibility in routine addiction-treatment settings. Randomized controlled trials with addiction-specific outcomes, standardized acceptability instruments, and objective engagement analytics are needed to establish effectiveness.
