EFFECT OF DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY ON EMOTION REGULATION AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE IN PEOPLE UNDER METHADONE THERAPY

Background and Aim : Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a common medication in opioid dependence disorder. This treatment, despite the positive results, has many psychological problems such as difficulty in emotion regulation and distress tolerance. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) on emotional regulation strategies and distress tolerance in patients under methadone therapy.Methods : This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial with the intervention and control groups. Fifty men referred to the methadone treatment clinic were randomly assigned to two groups. In this study, emotion regulation questionnaire, distress tolerance questionnaire, corrective therapy questionnaire, and unified therapy questionnaire in three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up were used. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 17 with Leven test, chi-square, t-test and repeated measure ANOVA.Results : The results showed that the scores of the intervention group significantly decreased in the distress tolerance after 4 months of the intervention (P<0.01) and 2 months follow-up compared to the control group (P<0.01). Also, the scores of the intervention group significantly increased in the emotion regulation after 4 months of intervention (P<0.01) and 2 months follow-up (P<0.01) compared to the control group.Conclusion : The simultaneous combination of methadone therapy and dialectical behavior therapy can be useful in reducing the psychological problems of patients with opioid dependence

Keywords:

Methadone maintenance therapy , Dialectical behavior therapy , Emotional regulation strategies , Distress tolerance