Mindful attention moderating the effect of experiential avoidance in terms of mental health among Latinos in a federally qualified health center.
Elizabeth M Raines, Andrew H Rogers, Jafar Bakhshaie, Andres G Viana, Chad Lemaire, Monica Garza, Nubia A Mayorga, Melissa Ochoa-Perez, Michael J Zvolensky
Psychiatry Research December 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.036 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 326 |
| Population | Adult Latinos seeking health services at a primary care facility (mean age 39.79 years; 88.9% female; 98.2% Spanish as first language) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression |
| Keywords | Experiential avoidance Latinos Primary care |
| Key findings | Mindful attention moderated the relationship between experiential avoidance and anxious arousal, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and number of mood and anxiety disorders. Among participants with lower mindfulness, greater experiential avoidance was related to greater symptoms and more disorders; this association was weaker or absent at higher mindfulness. |
Abstract
The present study examined the moderating role of mindful attention in the relation between experiential avoidance and anxious arousal, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and the number of mood and anxiety disorders among a sample of Latinos seeking health services at a primary care facility. Participants included 326 adult Latinos (Mage = 39.79 years, SD = 11.27; 88.9% female; 98.2% used Spanish as their first language). Results provided empirical evidence of an interaction between mindful attention and experiential avoidance for anxious arousal, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and the number of mood and anxiety disorders in the studied sample. Specifically, among Latinos with lower (vs higher) levels of mindfulness, greater experiential avoidance was related to greater anxiety/depressive symptoms and number of mood and anxiety disorders. Together, these data provide novel empirical evidence of the clinically relevant interplay between mindful attention and experiential avoidance regarding a relatively wide array of negative emotional symptoms and disorders among Latino primary care patients. Limitations of the study include a largely female sample and cross-sectional data.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| The Role of Mindfulness and Psychological Flexibility in Somatization, Depression, Anxiety, and General Psychological Distress in a Nonclinical College Sample Ethnically diverse, nonclinical sample of college undergraduates (76% female) | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional survey | n = 494 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |