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The Role of Mindfulness and Contrast Avoidance in Individuals' Attitudes Toward Psychotherapy

Furkan Onur Eken, Süleyman Kahraman, İlknur Balkan

Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal August 31, 2026 DOI: 10.14812/cuefd.1850737 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional survey using structural equation modeling Peer reviewed
Sample size 405
Population Adults aged 18-60 years (281 female, 124 male; mean age 29.39 years, SD 8.26)
Measures Thoughts About Psychotherapy Scale, Contrast Avoidance Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
Topics Meditation
Key findings Mindful awareness, contrast avoidance, and thoughts about psychotherapy were significantly related, and contrast avoidance mediated the effect of mindfulness on attitudes toward psychotherapy. The authors suggest that mindfulness practices may support the therapy process by reducing tendencies toward contrast avoidance behaviors.

Abstract

The Contrast Avoidance Model is a contemporary model proposing that individuals maintain a negative affective state because they perceive emotional fluctuations as threatening and consider remaining in this state potentially beneficial. Maintaining a chronic negative mood can prevent diverse emotional experiences during the psychotherapy process or lead to the avoidance of positive emotions that could potentially emerge with recovery. This can lead to the emergence of negative beliefs and attitudes about the therapy process and, indirectly, lead to the termination of the therapy process. In this context, mindfulness is thought to be a significant determinant of individuals' thoughts about psychotherapy, but this relationship may be shaped by the tendencies toward contrast avoidance. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of contrast avoidance in the effect of mindfulness on thoughts about psychotherapy. The study sample consisted of 281 female and 124 male participants aged 18–60 years, with a mean age of 29.39 years (SD = 8.26). The study utilized the Thoughts About Psychotherapy Scale, the Contrast Avoidance Scale, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. The study found a significant relationship between mindful awareness, contrast avoidance, and thoughts about psychotherapy. The study revealed that contrast avoidance mediated the effect of mindfulness on attitudes toward psychotherapy. These results suggest that mindfulness practices can contribute to the therapy process by reducing individuals' tendencies toward contrast avoidance behaviors.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups 2008 Cross-sectional study
Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants 2007 Observational cross-sectional n = 27
Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents 2011 Cross-sectional validation study n = 1,413
Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators 2012 Cross-sectional study n = 152
Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates 2008 Cross-sectional, correlational

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