title: Effects of Vocational Consultation on Relapse Rate and Hope among Drug Dependents in Bojnurd, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug addiction is one of the most flagrant social damages that can easily enervate the socio-cultural foundation of a country as well as endanger human dynamism. One of the prevalent problems among most addicted people is their low hope and relapse of drug dependence. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of vocational consultation (for training on problem-solving skills) on hope and relapse rate of patients treated in methadone maintenance clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  This experiment was conducted on 60 drug abusers treated in a methadone maintenance program in drug addiction centers in Bojnurd, Iran, in 2014. The patients were randomly and equally allocated into two study and control groups. All patients completed the Miller Hope Questionnaire before and after the intervention. Ten sessions of vocational consultation were held for the study group while the control group received no special treatment. Patients were followed up on for relapses for six months. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) and the paired-samples t-test technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that the mean and standard deviation of hope on the pre-test in the study group increased on the post-test (from M=175.5, SD=31.8, to M=198.5, SD=20.4), while in the control group the mean of hope decreased from the pre-test to past-test stage (M=184.7, SD=27.7, to M=183.3, SD=26.1), showing a significant relationship, t(56)= 5.657, p<0.05. The relapse rate was not significantly different in the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vocational consultation positively affects hope among drug dependents but did not affect their relapse rate during the six-month follow-up. Increasing the hope in these groups of patients may be effective in other aspects of treatment success in long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: MD, Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor, Addiction and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences. Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Kaveh
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hojjat
authors.affiliation: MA of Vocational Counseling, Islamic Azad University, Ghuchan Branch, Ghuchan, Iran.
authors.forename: Roghieh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raufpoor
authors.affiliation: MD, Department of Community Medicine and Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, North khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mina Norozi
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.affiliation: MA of Clinical Psychology, Addiction and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, North khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamidi
authors.affiliation: PhD Student of Counseling, Islamic Azad University, Bojnurd Branch, Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danesh
authors.affiliation: MSc of Educational Nursing, Addiction and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, North khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Hadiseh Monadi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ziarat
keywords: drug dependency; hope; problem-solving skills; relapse; vocational consultation