Experiential Avoidance, Mindfulness and Depression in Spinal Cord Injuries: A preliminary study.

Timothy Skinner, T Roberton, G Allison, S Dunlop, Romola Bucks

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    23 Citations (Scopus)

    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.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)27-35
    Number of pages9
    JournalAustralian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling
    Volume16
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2010

    Keywords

    • avoidance
    • depression
    • mindfulness
    • spinal cord injury

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