Mindfulness for health and wellbeing in adults with spinal cord injury: A scoping review

CONTEXT: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) require resources to prevent or self-manage complications in order to maintain optimum functioning and well-being. Rehabilitation literature suggests that mindfulness as an internal psychological resource can play a crucial role in promoting self-management and improving health and well-being.

Objectives: We sought to identify and synthesize existing evidence on the role of mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions in health and well-being outcomes among adults with SCI.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review, searching evidence across four electronic databases, CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, for articles published between 2000 and 2023. Additional articles were searched from the reference list of identified articles.

Results: Of 354 articles identified in the search, 20 were included in the scoping review. Thirteen studies were interventional in design, while the other seven included cross-sectional and qualitative designs. Some interventional studies examined mindfulness as the major component of the interventions, whereas other studies integrated mindfulness as one component of the intervention program. Overall, mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions were associated with a range of health and well-being outcomes among individuals with SCI.

Conclusions: Mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions appear to positively impact health and well-being in adults with SCI. However, mindfulness interventions were inconsistent in terms of content, delivery frequency, and duration. It is essential to develop multifaceted, tailored mindfulness interventions utilizing a consumer-based approach and established theories of mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices for adults with SCI.