Mindfulness-based Interventions for Substance Use Disorders among Minoritized Populations

Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing condition which impacts 35 million people worldwide and is responsible for 11.8 million deaths annually. Traditional psychological SUD interventions typically focus on psychoeducation and management of external relapse triggers; however, management of internal relapse triggers (e.g., craving, negative affect) remain relatively unaddressed and upwards of 60% of individuals relapse even after treatment completion. Over the last two decades, third-wave cognitive-behavioral therapies and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been developed in response to the short-comings of traditional SUD treatments. In addition to the interventions used in traditional SUD treatments, exposure/response prevention strategies inherent in meditation and mindfulness practices utilized in MBIs address aversive internal experiences that result in relapse. As such, MBIs have demonstrated efficacy across a variety of substance use disorders within various clinical contexts, greater reductions in substance use following treatment, and greater cost effectiveness compared to other SUD treatments. However, most MBIs for SUDs have been validated on Non-Hispanic, White males with little to no studies reporting demographic information on other marginalized identities, with even less focusing on cultures beyond those in Non-Hispanic, White males.

Goal: The goal of this topic is to examine and improve SUD treatment that incorporates Mindfulness treatment in a broader variety of populations. Among marginalized communities, the impact of SUDs are even more harrowing, with greater odds of substance dependence, treatment dropout, and increased rates of substance relapse. Additionally, minoritized populations are more likely to face systemic barriers in accessing high quality, evidence-based treatments for SUDs, and show greater mistrust of healthcare institutions due harm that has ensued from historically discriminatory policies and practice. Given that MBIs are becoming more regularly implemented within the clinical milieu and few MBIs have been validated within minoritized populations, this research topic aims to increase our understanding of the adaptability, acceptability, and efficacy of MBIs and their relevance within marginalized communities.

Scope: Manuscripts highlighting development, adaptation, acceptability, efficacy, effectiveness, and/or implementation of MBIs for SUDs among the following communities are encouraged to submit their research: racial and ethnic minorities, refugees and immigrants, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities, neuro-divergent communities, Veterans, rural communities, low-income communities, and/or other historically disenfranchised and minoritized groups not otherwise listed.