The Effectiveness of Work Hope-Based Intervention on Increasing Work Hope in Recovering Substance-Dependent Individuals

This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of work hope-based intervention on increasing the work hope in recovering substance-dependent individuals.

The present research was semi-experimental with a pretest-posttest and follow up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all recovering substance-dependent individuals of the Narcotics Anonymous Association of Khomeini Shahr in 2021. Among them, 14 people were selected by the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental (n = 7) and control (n = 7) groups. The participants of both groups completed the work hope scale in the pretest and posttest. The work hope-based intervention was implemented in eight 90-minute sessions with the frequency of two sessions per week on the experimental group. The data were analyzed with the analysis of covariance with repeated measurement.

The findings showed that the mean score of work hope and its components significantly increased in the experimental group than in the control group, and this increase was also maintained in the follow-up phase.

It is possible to increase work hope in recovering substance-dependent individuals by using effective communication skills training in the career path, creating a positive attitude toward oneself and strengthening positive self-concept, strengthening religious and moral teachings, financial and emotional support, and using the experiences of successfully recovered individuals.