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

Background: Addiction is one of the most important social issues influencing all aspects of people’s lives, including personal, social, physical, and mental. Given the increasing rate of addiction and its associated irreparable damages to the community, , the methods of preventing and treating addiction should be meticulously investigated. 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 was followed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. A sample of 30 addicts (15 people assigned to the experimental group and 15 to the control group) undergoing rehabilitation from March to June 2017 at Mohabbat Addiction Treatment Center in Zahedan City, Iran, were selected using the convenience sampling method. Ten 45-minute sessions of expressive arts group therapy were carried out in the experimental group. After completing the sessions, a posttest was conducted. To collect data, Connor and Davidson’s resilience scale and emotional self-regulation questionnaire were used. Results: Results of analyses of covariance indicated that expressive arts group therapy was effective on resilience and emotion regulation among the addicts undergoing rehabilitation. Conclusion: Accordingly, using expressive arts group therapy is recommended to promote resilience and emotion regulation among addicts undergoing rehabilitation.