Substance Use Disorder and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in a Residential Treatment Center

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in reducing cravings in adults with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), living in a residential treatment center.
Research Question: Does Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) reduce cravings for substance use in a residential treatment center?
Setting/Sample: An adult residential treatment center in Delaware was the setting for recruitment of a convenience sample (N=14) of ten men and four women aged 18-24 years old with SUD.
Measures: Data was collected on age, gender, race and Brief Substance Craving Scale (BSCS) scores, pre and post intervention. The BSCS was used to assess the frequency, intensity, duration of craving, and overall rating of craving.
Design/Methods: A single group pre-test/post-test design was used to answer the research question. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and the Sign Test were used to compare differences in ordinal data on this small sample size.
Procedures: An established MBRP protocol was implemented.
Results: There was a significant reduction in subjects reports on all measures of the BSCS pre-test to post-test. Composite scores of the three ordinal measurements decreased (M = 6.14 to M=2.00) as well as overall craving (M=5.29 to M=0.86).
Nursing Implications: The findings support the use of MBRP in residential treatment as an added treatment modality for young adults with SUD to reducing cravings that lead to relapse.