The Effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy on Beliefs Related to Drug Abuse and Problem Solving Skills in Shirvan Drug Addicts

Since addiction is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, "cognitive therapy" is a tool that therapists use to influence their thoughts and beliefs to control and treat it. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in beliefs to drug abuse and problem solving skills among drug abusers in Shirvan in 1397. The research design was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group and follow-up. Statistical sample consisted of 40 people with drug abuse referring to addiction centers who were randomly divided into two groups of 20 each. The data collecting tools used were questionnaires: Wright & Beck's (1993) Drug Beliefs and Cassidy and Long's Problem Solving Strategies (1996). Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 and covariance analysis. The results of covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups at the follow-up stage in terms of drugs related beliefs and problem-solving skills. Overall, it is recommended that therapists, psychologists, and clinicians to be more attentive to the positive effects of cognitive therapy on drug related beliefs and problem-solving skills.