EFFECTIVENESS OF SOLUTION-FOCUSED APPROACH-BASED PSYCHOEDUCATION IN INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

July 28, 2026 updated by: Gülten Güleşen, Okan University

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing psychiatric disorder characterized by compulsive substance use despite harmful physical, psychological, and social consequences. It is associated with impaired psychosocial functioning, reduced self-efficacy, decreased psychological well-being, and a high risk of relapse. Although detoxification, pharmacotherapy, and routine psychoeducation constitute the standard components of treatment, many individuals continue to experience difficulties maintaining recovery after discharge. Therefore, there is an increasing need for psychosocial interventions that strengthen personal resources, promote recovery, and improve long-term treatment outcomes.

The Solution-Focused Approach (SFA) is a strengths-based therapeutic model that emphasizes individuals' existing resources, successful experiences, future goals, and problem-solving abilities rather than focusing on deficits and pathology. Instead of exploring the causes of substance use, SFA encourages individuals to identify exceptions to their problems, recognize previous successes, build hope, and develop practical solutions that support behavioral change. Previous studies have suggested that solution-focused interventions may improve self-efficacy, motivation for change, coping skills, psychological well-being, and treatment engagement. However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of structured solution-focused psychoeducation programs among individuals with substance use disorder remains limited, particularly in randomized controlled trials conducted in inpatient addiction treatment settings.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured Solution-Focused Approach-based psychoeducation program on addiction profile, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being among individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder receiving inpatient treatment.

The study was conducted between February and August 2025 at the Adult Detoxification Center of a Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Türkiye. Following completion of the detoxification phase and confirmation of eligibility criteria, participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. A total of 60 participants completed the study, with 30 individuals allocated to each group.

Participants assigned to the intervention group received routine inpatient treatment in addition to a structured seven-session Solution-Focused Approach-based psychoeducation program developed by the researcher according to the principles of solution-focused therapy. Each session lasted approximately 60 to 90 minutes and was delivered twice weekly in small groups. The intervention included group orientation, identification of personal strengths and resources, goal setting, miracle questions, exception finding, scaling questions, solution-focused brainstorming, future-oriented planning, relapse prevention strategies, and termination activities. Throughout the intervention, participants were encouraged to identify successful coping experiences, develop realistic future goals, recognize their existing strengths, and enhance confidence in their ability to maintain recovery.

Participants in the control group received routine inpatient addiction treatment only. Routine treatment consisted of detoxification, pharmacotherapy, therapeutic milieu interventions, psychoeducation delivered through the national SAMBA program, physician follow-up, psychiatric nursing care, family meetings, and other standard clinical services provided by the treatment center.

Outcome assessments were performed before the intervention and immediately after completion of the psychoeducation program. Data were collected using the Addiction Profile Index (BAPI), the Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were also recorded.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether solution-focused psychoeducation improves psychological well-being and self-efficacy compared with routine inpatient treatment alone. Secondary objectives included evaluating changes in addiction profile and its subdimensions, particularly craving and safe behavioral characteristics.

It was hypothesized that participants receiving the Solution-Focused Approach-based psychoeducation program would demonstrate greater improvements in psychological well-being and self-efficacy, together with reductions in craving and addiction-related problems, compared with participants receiving routine treatment alone. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of evidence-based psychosocial nursing interventions for individuals with substance use disorder and to support the integration of recovery-oriented psychoeducation into routine addiction treatment services.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

65

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • bakırköy
      • Istanbul, bakırköy, Turkey (Türkiye), 340000
        • Istanbul Bakirkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being 18 years of age or older with a diagnosis of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder and having completed detoxification at the Adult Detoxification Center, having completed an average of three days of hospitalization.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Those who want to withdraw from the study,
  • Those whose clinical condition deteriorates, those who have onset of psychotic symptoms,
  • Those who have verbal communication disorders,

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EFFECTS OF SOLUTION-FOCUSED APPROACH-BASED PSYCHOEDUCATION ON ADDICTION PROFILE, SELF-EFFICACY AND P
Behavioral: psychoeducation
psychoeducation based on solution-focused approach

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Addiction Profile Index Clinical Form (BAPI-K) Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)
Change in addiction severity measured using the Addiction Profile Index Clinical Form (BAPI-K). Higher scores indicate greater addiction severity. The total score will be compared between baseline and post-intervention.
Baseline and immediately after completion of the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-Efficacy Scale Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)
Change in psychological well-being measured using the Psychological Well-Being Scale. Total scores will be compared between baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.
Baseline and immediately after the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychological Well-Being Scale Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)
Change in psychological well-being measured using the Psychological Well-Being Scale. Total scores will be compared between baseline and immediately after completion of the intervention.
Baseline and immediately after the 7-session psychoeducation program (approximately 4 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Okan University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Abdollahi, Z., Taghizadeh, F., Hamzehgardeshi, Z., & Bahramzad, O. (2014). Relationship between Addiction Relapse and Self-Efficacy Rates in Injection Drug Users Referred to Maintenance Therapy Center of Sari, 1391. Global Journal of Health Science, 6(3), p138. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v6n3p138 Abram, M. D. (2018). The Role of the Registered Nurse Working in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Hermeneutic Study. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 39(6), 490-498. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2017.1413462 Achury-Saldaña, D., Duran De-Villalobos, M. M., & Fuentes-Ramirez, A. (2025). Self-Efficacy in People With Chronic Disease: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis. Nursing Open, 12(7), e70276. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.70276 Akın, A. (2008). Psikolojik İyi Olma Ölçekleri (PİOÖ): Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması. 8(3). Ali M. (2018). Solution Focused Brief Therapy in Alcohol Dependence Syndrome [Master's Thesis]. ndia: Ranchi University Psychology Faculty, Department of Clinical Psychology. Anderson, H. (1997). Conversation, language and possibilities: A post-modern approach to therapy. APA (5th ed). (2013). American Psychiatric Publishing. Arias, A. R. L., Buss, D. F., Alburquerque, C. D., Inácio, A. F., Freire, M. M., Egler, M., Mugnai, R., & Baptista, D. F. (2007). Utilização de bioindicadores na avaliação de impacto e no monitoramento da contaminação de rios e córregos por agrotóxicos. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 12(1), 61-72. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232007000100011 Bagdasarian, F. A., Hansen, H. D., Chen, J., Yoo, C.-H., Placzek, M. S., Hooker, J. M., & Wey, H.-Y. (2024). Acute Effects of Hallucinogens on Functional Connectivity: Psilocybin and Salvinorin-A. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 15(14), 2654-2661. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00245 Balster, R. L., Cruz, S. L., Howard, M. O., Dell, C. A., & Cottler, L. B. (2009). Classification of abused inhalants. Addiction, 104(6), 878-882. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02494.x Bandura, A. (1

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

June 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 30, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • OkanU-KO-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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