Effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy on Coping Strategies and Life Satisfaction among Patients with Substance Abuse

Background: Substance abuse is a complex issue influenced by historical, biological, geographic, cultural, social, and economic factors. It poses a serious problem among teenagers and young people, with estimates suggesting that by the ninth grade, more than half of Indian boys have experimented with at least one substance. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy on coping strategies and life satisfaction among patients with substance abuse. Methods: The study used a pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test and post-test. The Coping and Satisfaction with Life scale was used in this study. A substance abuse patient and a purposive sampling technique was applied. The collected data were coded and analysed by using descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Results: In the pre-test, over half of substance abuse patients (50.83%) showed poor coping, while post-test results revealed improvement, with 66.7% demonstrating adequate coping. Dissatisfaction was high before the intervention (58.3%), including 25% severely dissatisfied. After the intervention, 48.3% reported being satisfied, and 41.7% were somewhat satisfied. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.778, p = 0.001) was found between coping skills and life satisfaction. Conclusion: The study concludes that implementing a motivational enhancement therapy program improves coping skills and life satisfaction in substance abuse patients, allowing them to meet their motivational needs while also developing cognitive, emotional, social, and self-management skills for future life transitions.