Effects of brief cognitive behavioral therapy on mental health in substance-related disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Population and aging are major contributing factors influencing the increase in substance use disorder (SUD), which in itself affects mental health, particularly anxiety and depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy co-treatment are considered the gold standard for the treatment of SUD. Thus, the present study has been carried out to investigate the efficacy of brief CBT on the general health of opioid users. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with forty opioid users whose addiction was dully confirmed by a psychiatrist at the drop-in center of the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. The patients were then randomly divided into two equal groups (n = 20). The control group was treated solely using methadone maintenance therapy (MMT); however, the intervention group underwent four sessions of CBT in addition to MMT. The general health questionnaire (GHQ) consisting of 28 items (Goldberg, 1979) was applied to both groups at the beginning and end of the study. The collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 26, and data analysis was carried out using chi-square, t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Poisson regression model. P < 0.05 was statistically significant for all the aforementioned tests. RESULTS: The mean age for the control and intervention groups were 37.95 ± 7.64 and 43.85 ± 9.92, respectively (p = 0.042). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of gender and levels of education (p = 0.311 and p = 0.540). Both groups differed statistically regarding marital status and occupation (p = 0.025 and 0.002). There was no significant statistical difference in all subclasses and the total scores of GHQ-28 for both groups, except for anxiety and insomnia in the intervention group (p = 0.038). After applying a Likert scale with a 23-point cut-off score, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of psychosis after intervention in the intervention group (p = 0.077). CONCLUSION: The results of the current study show that brief CBT is effective on psychiatric health, especially anxiety and sleep disorders, whereas brief CBT fails to affect the patient's depression, somatic symptoms, and social dysfunction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) approved the study design (IRCT registration number: IRCT20190929044917N1, registration date: 13/01/2020).

Impact of Training High School Female Students in Ahvaz, Iran in the Social Skills Required to Avoid the Use of Drugs.

INTRODUCTION: Gender composition and the soaring trends of drug and tobacco dependency reveal the priority of social skills training related to drug avoidance self-efficacy among female students. The aim of this study was to verify the impact training high school female students to have the social skills needed to avoid the use of drugs. METHODS: This study was conducted from September 2012 to May 2013 in two high schools in Ahvaz City in southwest Iran. The participants were divided randomly into two groups of 60 students, one experimental group and one control group using the multi-stage simple sampling method. Two questionnaires, i.e. the ASES and TISS questionnaires, were completed before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics, chi squared, paired-samples t-test, and the independent-samples t-test were used. RESULTS: The participants had a mean age of 14.93 years. Among the 120 participants, 90.8% indicated that they had never smoked a cigarette, and 51.7% of the participants denied having smoked a hookah. There was no significant relationship between the self-sufficiency means of drug avoidance in the two groups of girls before intervention (p ≥ 0.05). However, after intervention, a significant difference was found in test score of self-efficacy of drug avoidance between the two groups, i.e., 94.91 ± 8.3 for the control group versus 99.16 ± 3.8 for the experimental group, p < 0.05). Significant increases were observed for the pre- and post-test scores of self-efficacy of drug avoidance in the experimental group compared to the control group (99.16 ± 3.8 (p = 0.001) vs. 96.58 ± 6.98 (p > 0.05). The mean values of the pre- and post-test scores of social skill before and after intervention increased significantly only for the experimental group (97.60 ± 19.19 vs. 100.58 ± 12.37, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Educational intervention can significantly enhance social skills for drug avoidance self-efficacy, so it is recommended that such skills be taught in the high school curriculum.

Comparison Of Prevalence Of Postpartum Depression Symptoms Between Breastfeeding Mothers And Non-breastfeeding Mothers.

OBJECTIVES: There is a relationship between infant feeding method and maternal postpartum depression (PPD). This study was carried out in an Iranian population to compare the prevalence of PPD symptoms between breast feeding and non-breast feeding mothers for first time. METHODS: Four health centers in Ahvas were selected by random sampling in 2009. At first 78 non-breast feeding mothers at two months postpartum were recruited in the study and then 78 breast feeding mothers were recruited through random sampling. They were re-assessed in six months postpartum period. Demographic and obstetric data questionnaire and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in prevalence of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale positive between breast feeding (2.5%) and non-breast feeding mothers (19.4%) (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Infant feeding method may be related to maternal mood disorder and breast feeding mothers are less depressed. Breastfeeding may decrease PPD.