Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention Group Therapy and Treatment as Usual on Shame and Self-criticism in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder: A Comparative Investigation

Background: Shame and self-criticism are two variables that refer to negative self-assessment. Such negative self-assessments cause unpleasant emotions, which are among the known factors involved in drug abuse and relapse. Objectives: This study aimed to compare mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) group therapy and treatment as usual (TAU) in terms of their effect on shame and self-criticism in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients and Methods: The current quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design was conducted on 36 patients who met the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) criteria for OUD. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received a combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU, and the other group was treated only by TAU. The participants filled out the Other as Shamer Scale and the Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The data were statistically analyzed using a mixed-design analysis of variance. Results: The results indicated that the mean score of shame significantly decreased in the follow-up compared to pretest and posttest. Moreover, the combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU was significantly more effective than TAU alone. The posttest and follow-up mean scores of the participants who received a combination of MBRP group therapy and TAU were significantly lower than those treated only with TAU. Conclusions: The study results showed that MBRP could be considered an effective therapeutic approach for reducing shame and self-criticism in individuals with OUD.