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ABSTRACT
Introduction
Women with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more inclined to use drugs and relapse for regulating emotions compared to men. This study aimed to explore the effects of group music and imagery in alleviating anxiety, depression, emotion regulation difficulties, and craving for women with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) in a compulsory rehabilitation context.
Method
A total of 90 women with MUD were randomly assigned to the music therapy treatment arm (n = 45) or control treatment arm (n = 45). Participants in the music therapy treatment arm received 12 biweekly sessions of group music and imagery (GrpMI) and those in the control treatment arm received 6 weeks of usual care. Anxiety, depression, emotion regulation difficulties, and craving were assessed at pre-test and post-test.
Results
After the intervention, participants in the GrpMI group reported significantly greater improvements than those in the control group for state anxiety (F = 6.27; p = .02; Partial η2 = .13), trait anxiety (F = 4.49; p = .04; Partial η2 = .09), depression (F = 5.48; p = .02; Partial η2 = .11), and craving (F = 4.53; p = .04; Partial η2 = .09). There was no significant difference between groups in emotion regulation difficulties (F = .95, p = .34, Partial η2 = .09).
Discussion
GrpMI significantly decreased depression, anxiety, and craving for women with MUD. Emotion regulation ability may need a longer period of treatment for significant improvement. Future studies could add long-term follow-up and compare the effects of group music therapy in women versus men with SUDs.
Acknowledgements
We want to thank all the participants for their openness, sincerity, and contributions to this study.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Supplementary data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2023.2248630.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Xijing Chen
Xijing Chen, PhD, is a certified music therapist, master student supervisor at the Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), and assistant researcher at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her professional focus is related to music therapy for people with substance use disorders, sub-health status, and emotional disorders.
Qianqian Xie
Qianqian Xie, is a PhD candidate, at the Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), and the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research interests focus on the assessment and psychological treatment of addictive behaviors.
Hongmin Yang
Hongmin Yang, is a licensed psychological counselor at the Henan women’s drug rehabilitation center. Her professional focus is related to psychological counseling for facilitating clients’ psychosocial recovery from substance use disorders.
Wei Zhang
Wei Zhang, MA, is a licensed psychological counselor at the Beijing women’s drug rehabilitation center. She works with people who suffer from substance use disorders.
Yonghui Li
Yonghui Li, PhD, is a PhD advisor at the Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and a professor at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His major research interest is to investigate neural mechanisms on drug addiction, food addiction, and behavioral addiction, with a main focus on the craving and its dynamic features during the development of addiction.