The effect of mindfulness on decision-making, inhibitory control, and impulsivity of substance use disorder in-treatment patients: A randomized clinical trial

Ana Paula Gonçalves Donate; Elizeu Coutinho de Macedo; André Bedendo; Itamar Félix Júnior; Giovanna Gonçalves Gallo; Emérita Sátiro Opaleye; Ana Regina Noto

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0293502

The effect of mindfulness on decision-making, inhibitory control, and impulsivity of substance use disorder in-treatment patients: A randomized clinical trial

PLoS One. 2023 Nov 7;18(11):e0293502. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293502. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ana Paula Gonçalves Donate¹, Elizeu Coutinho de Macedo², André Bedendo¹, Itamar Félix Júnior¹, Giovanna Gonçalves Gallo¹, Emérita Sátiro Opaleye¹, Ana Regina Noto¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychobiology, Núcleo de Pesquisa em Saúde e Uso de Substância, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, São Paulo, Brazil.
² Laboratório de Neurociência Cognitiva e Social, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, SP, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) in decision-making, inhibitory control and impulsivity compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) for individuals with Substance Use Disorders (SUD's) in Brazil. A randomized clinical trial was conducted with participants from a therapeutic community (n = 122). Decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task), impulsivity dimensions (UPPS-P Scale), and inhibitory control (Stroop Color-Word Test) were assessed before and after the MBRP 8-week intervention. GLM Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the effects of MBRP on different impulsivity measures. The results showed that MBRP+TAU improved the general decision-making score (p = 0,008) compared to TAU. However, no significant effects were found in impulsivity dimensions and inhibitory control in individuals with SUDs in the therapeutic community. This study found improvement in decision-making in the total IGT score; however, no effect for self-reported impulsivity and inhibitory control among middle-aged patients after an 8-weeks intervention of MBRP protocol in an inpatient setting. It adds information to the subject, with implications and possible directions to be followed by the next clinical trials with patients with SUDs in treatment. Trial registration: EnsaiosClinicos.gov.br: RBR-6c9njc.

Copyright: © 2023 Donate et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Gambling*
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Middle Aged
Mindfulness* / methods
Secondary Prevention / methods
Substance-Related Disorders* / therapy

Grants and funding

The authors report the following sources of funding: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, (#2015/19472-5) awarded to ARN and (#2019/01767-0) IFJ. We would like to acknowledge PLOS Publication Fee Assistance for giving a discount on expenses with publication. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript and all is described in Funding Statement.