Date
8-20-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Florin Coltea
Keywords
substance use disorder, mindfulness oriented recovery enhancement, mindfulness, reappraisal, savoring, emotion regulation, addiction, affect, affect-regulation, self-regulation
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Rhodes, Alex, "A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study on the Effects of the Mindfulness Oriented Recovery Enhancement Program on Emotion Regulation in Individuals with Substance Use Disorders" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8754.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8754
Abstract
Those with substance use disorders (SUDs) often display difficulties in emotion regulation, which contributes to addictive behaviors and relapse. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental pilot study was to examine the effects of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement program (MORE) on difficulties in emotion regulation and emotion regulation strategies among individuals with substance use disorders. Specifically, the study examined whether participation in an 8-week MORE program resulted in changes in (a) difficulties regulating emotions, as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and (b) emotion regulation strategies, as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Participants (N = 9) enrolled in the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation program completed pre- and post-intervention assessments following the 8-week MORE program. Emotion regulation was measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a decrease in overall DERS scores from pre-intervention (M = 88.00, SD = 15.92) to post-intervention (M = 78.88, SD = 15.47), Z = -1.69, p = .091, with a large effect size (r = .60). The DERS Strategies subscale demonstrated a statistically significant decrease, Z = -2.21, p = .027. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in ERQ cognitive reappraisal (Z = -0.56, p = .573) or expressive suppression (Z = -0.70, p = .482). Findings suggest that MORE may improve overall self-regulation capacities, particularly through enhanced awareness and regulation strategies.
