Persian Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in Iranian Substance Abusers: Validity and Reliability

Comparative Effects of Cognitive Rehabilitation and Photobiomodulation on Drug Craving in Treatment-Seeking Opioid Addicts

Background: Drug addiction refers to a maladaptive pattern of drug use that frequently leads to substance abuse problems and accompanying cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Among the crucial criteria of drug addiction, craving stands out as a potent factor contributing to ongoing drug abuse and relapse following period of abstinence. To date, there is no definitive method for eradicating opioid cravings. The introduction of novel neurocognitive interventions, such as cognitive rehabilitation and photobiomodulation (PBM), into the realm of psychiatric treatments holds promise due to the parallels between drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders. These innovative techniques offer potential value in addressing drug addiction. Objective: This study aimed to assess and compare the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation and PBM in alleviating drug cravings among individuals undergoing addiction treatment in clinical settings. Methods: The research used randomized clinical trial as the chosen research method. The statistical population encompassed all clients receiving treatment for addiction at clinics, selected through the convenience sampling method, with α = 0.05 significance level and an effect size of 85%. Gpower software was utilized to determine three equal groups. Sixty-three participants, each having a mean total score higher than 3 out of 5 on the Desire for Drug Questionnaire (DDQ), were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (n = 21 each) and a control group (n = 21). For the assessment of immediate and periodic opioid craving, the DDQ and the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale were used. In the low-level laser group, an 810 nm wavelength with continuous irradiation was applied twice a week at a distance of 1 cm by 1 cm to the prefrontal part of the brain for duration of 6 weeks (12 sessions). In the brain rehabilitation group, the stop signal and n-back tasks software were used twice a week for period of 6 weeks (comprising 12 sessions, each lasting 30 min). Results: The results demonstrated that each intervention significantly reduced drug craving in both the post-test and follow-up phases compared to the control group. The Bonferroni post hoc test indicated that PBM was more effective than cognitive rehabilitation in terms of working memory (WM) and inhibitory control for reducing drug craving (p < 0.05). Conclusions: While both PBM and cognitive rehabilitation targeting WM and inhibitory control effectively reduced opioid drug craving, low-level laser therapy proved to be more effective than cognitive rehabilitation in this regard.

Impact of social support and mindfulness in the associations between perceived risk of COVID-19 acquisition and pregnancy outcomes in Iranian population: a longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Various devastating infection outbreaks including COVID-19, threat both mother and fetus health. These life-threating outbreaks as potential harms are highly associated with relevant perceived risk. Social support and mindfulness are two factors that may moderate the associations between the perceived risk of COVID-19 and pregnancy outcomes. In this study we investigated the potential moderating impact of social support and mindfulness in the aforementioned association.

METHODS

This study is a longitudinal cohort study in which 483 Iranian pregnant women in Tehran have been studied. Perceived risk of COVID-19 questions, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used through an online platform to assess the independent variables during pregnancy. Neonatal and maternal outcomes including gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, abortion, birth weight, and gestational age at birth, was extracted from Electronic Health Record (EHR) after childbirth as the dependent variables. The aim of the study is to investigate whether social support and mindfulness can affect the associations between perceived risk of Covid-19 acquisition and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS

Perceived risk of COVID-19 was negatively associated with pregnancy outcomes including birth weight (-28, 95% CI [-53, -3.4], p < .05) and gestational age at birth (-0.9, 95% CI [-2,0.11], p < .05). However, social support could not moderate these associations. Mindfulness, on the other hand, moderated the association between perceived risk and stillbirth meaning that by increasing mindfulness, the association between the perceived risk and stillbirth may also be increased (OR = 0.03; p < .05).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study showed that social support lacks the moderating impact on the association between perceived risk of COVID-19 and pregnancy outcomes. Mindfulness, on the other hand, indicate a positive moderating impact for the association between perceived risk of Covid-19 and stillbirth. More studies in different populations are suggested to investigate the impact of mindfulness and social support on the association between perceived risk and pregnancy outcomes.