The Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Focused Training on Reducing Negative Affect and Improving the Quality of Life in Substance-Dependent Individuals

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of self-compassionate focused training on reducing negative affect and improving the quality of life in substance-dependent individuals. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental design of pretest-posttest and follow-up with a control group. A sample of 50 substance-dependent individuals was selected by convenience sampling method and then they were randomly placed into two experimental and control groups. The participants of the experimental group received self-compassion focused training in ten 90-minute sessions once a week. The data collection tools were the positive affect and negative affect scale and the world health organization quality of life scale. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that self-compassion focused training significantly led to reduce negative affect and improve the quality of life in substance-dependent individuals and these changes still remained during follow-up period. Conclusion: The results showed the effectiveness of self-compassion focused training on reducing negative affect and improving the quality of life in substance-dependent individuals. Therefore, self-compassion focused training can be used to reduce negative affect and improve the quality of life in substance-dependent individuals.