Integrating mindfulness skills training into a brief outpatient treatment for substance abusing youth

Abstract

Mindfulness training has increasingly been implemented in substance abuse treatment regimes with the goal of relapse prevention. Among the available treatments, Motivational Interviewing (MI) is reported to be the most effective form of treatment for transitional-age youths. However, there is a paucity of research investigating the effects of mindfulness skills training on sobriety maintenance in this population. Objectives: The goal of the current study was to assess the effects of MI with the addition of mindfulness skills training on substance use behaviours and clinical outcomes in outpatient youths between the ages of 16 and 24. Methods: Sixty-six eligible participants were randomly assigned to a Treatment-as-usual (TAU) group or a TAU plus mindfulness training (TAU+M) group. Substance use days, impulse/addictive behaviors, confidence to resist urges, emotion regulation, psychiatric symptom severity, and mindfulness was assessed at baseline, post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Days of substance-use did not change across group; however, both treatment groups reported decreased severity of psychiatric symptoms at 3-month follow-up. Participants in the TAU+M group further displayed decreased impulsive/addictive behaviors and increased confidence to resist urges at follow-up compared to the TAU group. Interestingly, the TAU group displayed greater changes in mindfulness than the TAU+M group. Conclusions and Implications: Overall, adding mindfulness to MI seems to provide benefits in the treatment of substance abusing youths.