The Effectiveness of Meaning Therapy on the Cognitive, Emotional, and Spiritual Indicators of Recovered Addicts with Symptoms of Depression
Keywords:
Depression, Spiritual health, Cognitive-emotional indicators, Meaning therapyAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of meaning therapy on cognitive, emotional, and spiritual indices in recovered addicts exhibiting symptoms of depression. Methods and Materials: The study employed a semi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and a control group, including a 3-month follow-up. A total of 45 recovered male addicts aged 25–50 years from addiction treatment clinics in Shahrekord (Iran) were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups (meaning therapy, emotion efficacy-based therapy, and control), each with 15 participants. Standardized instruments included the Beck Depression Inventory (1988), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006), the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (Paloutzian & Ellison, 1982), and an emotion regulation scale. Cronbach’s alpha for these tools ranged from 0.80 to 0.88. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA/MANCOVA) via SPSS24. Findings: The results indicated significant differences among the three groups in posttest and follow-up stages across cognitive, emotional, and spiritual indices. The meaning therapy group showed significantly greater improvements compared to both control and the second intervention group. Effect sizes in MANCOVA tests were large, ranging from 0.30 to 0.74. Meaning therapy significantly reduced depression scores, improved cognitive and emotional regulation, and enhanced spiritual well-being in participants. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that meaning therapy is an effective intervention to enhance cognitive, emotional, and spiritual health among recovered addicts with depressive symptoms. Its application is recommended in rehabilitation and addiction recovery programs.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Esmaeel Mardanizadeh (Author); Maryam Nasri; Fatemeh Shahabizadeh , Mojtaba Ansari Shahidi (Author)
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