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Experiential Avoidance, Mindfulness and Depression in Spinal Cord Injuries: A Preliminary Study

Timothy C. Skinner, Terri Roberton, Garry T. Allison, Sarah Dunlop, Romola S. Bucks

The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling May 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1375/jrc.16.1.27 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed
Sample size 62
Population Patients listed in the spinal cord injury database at Royal Perth Hospital who had experienced an injury within the last 10 years
Measures Depression Anxiety Stress Scale depression subscale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-2), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
Topics Depression Meditation
Key findings Thirty per cent of participants scored above the cutoff for possible depression, with equal numbers experiencing mild, moderate, or severe depression. Mindfulness and experiential avoidance were significantly associated with depression and intercorrelated, and regression analysis indicated that experiential avoidance mediated the relationship between depression and mindfulness.

Abstract

Abstract: This preliminary study sought to explore the link between depression, experiential avoidance and mindfulness in people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). We surveyed patients listed on the SCI database at Royal Perth Hospital who had experienced an injury over the last 10 years. Respondents (62) completed a questionnaire including the depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-2; Bond et al., 2007) and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003). Thirty per cent of participants scored above the cut-off for possible depression, with equal numbers experiencing mild, moderate or severe depression. Mindfulness and experiential avoidance were significantly associated with depression, and were intercorrelated. Further, regression analysis indicated that experiential avoidance mediated the relationship between depression and mindfulness. Our preliminary data suggest that individuals with SCI who are more mindful use less avoidance and have a more positive mood. These results indicate further work in this area is warranted.

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Depression Meditation Anxiety