Acceptance and commitment therapy for treatment of stigma and shame in substance use disorders: A double-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial

Objective: This double-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) focused on stigma and shame as opposed to standard treatment (ST) in substance use disorder. Method: Participants with the main diagnosis of SUD were allocated through simple randomization to an ACT intervention or standard treatment. Primary measures, Substance Use Stigma Mechanism Scale and Other As Shamer Scale were employed to assess stigma and shame. Secondary measures assessed general health, quality of life, psychological flexibility, and multidimensional social support at pre, post, and 3 months follow up period. Result: Result of linear mixed-effects models showed that the intervention was efficacious in reducing stigma pre (M = 49.42 SD = 7.48) post (M = 23.97 SD = 6.52) and follow-up (M = 24.97 SD = 7.06). Significant decline in shame were also shown at pre (M = 26.17 SD = 5.72) post (M = 9.48 SD = 5.90) and follow-up (M = 10.62 SD = 6.93).Whereas slight differences were shown at secondary measures. Conclusion: It suggests that combined treatment with ACT was more effective than standard treatment for suds. This study could serve as a model for designing future RCTs with ACT-related interventions.