The Effectiveness of Expressive Arts Group Therapy in Resilience and Emotion Regulation among Addicts Undergoing Rehabilitation

Background:Addiction is regarded as one of the most important social issues influencing all aspects of people’s lives including personal, social, physical, and mental aspects. Given the increasing rate of the disease and its associated irreparable damages to a patient’s life and the community, this disease and its methods of preventing and treating should especially be taken into consideration. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of expressive arts group therapy in resilience and emotion regulation among addicts undergoing rehabilitation. Methods:This quasi-experimental study followed by a pretest-posttest design with a control group. A sample of 30 addicts (15 people assigned to an experimental group and 15 people assigned to a control group) undergoing rehabilitation from March to June 2017 at Mohabbat Addiction Treatment Center in Zahedan was selected. A convenience sampling method was applied. Ten 45-minute sessions of expressive arts group therapy were carried out on the experimental group. After completing these sessions, a posttest was conducted. To collect data, Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale and Emotional Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRI-25) were used. Results:  Results of analyses of covariance indicated that expressive arts group therapy was effective in resilience and emotion regulation among the addicts undergoing rehabilitation. Conclusion: Accordingly, considering the effectiveness of expressive arts group therapy in promoting resilience and emotion regulation among addicts undergoing rehabilitation, applying this therapy is recommended to improve these patients’ status.