Goal Management Training and Mindfulness Meditation improve executive functions and transfer to ecological tasks of daily life in polysubstance users enrolled in therapeutic community treatment

Background We have previously shown that Goal Management Training + Mindfulness Meditation (GMT + MM) improves executive functions in polysubstance users enrolled in outpatient treatment. The aim of this study was to establish if GMT + MM has similar positive effects on executive functions in polysubstance users in residential treatment, and if executive functions’ gains transfer to more ecologically valid goal-oriented tasks. Methods Thirty-two polysbustance users were randomly allocated to eight weeks of GMT + MM (n = 16) or control, i.e., no-intervention (n = 16); both groups received treatment as usual. Outcome measures included performance in laboratory tasks of basic and complex executive functions (i.e., basic: working memory and inhibition; complex: planning and self-regulation) and in an ecological task of goal-directed behavior (the Multiple Errands Test − contextualized version, MET-CV) measured post-interventions. Results Results showed that GMT + MM was superior to control in improving basic measures of working memory (Letter-number sequencing; F = 4.516, p = 0.049) and reflection impulsivity (Information Sampling Test; F = 6.217, p = 0.018), along with initial thinking times during planning (Zoo Map Test; F = 8.143, p = 0.008). In addition, GMT + MM was superior to control in improving performance in the MET-CV (task failures; F = 8.485, p = 0.007). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that GMT + MM increases reflective processes and the achievement of goals in daily activities, furthermore ecological test can detects changes easily than laboratory tasks.