Abstract:
Mindfulness therapy is a tool used by professionals in psychology, often as a therapeutic coping
mechanism. Considering that previous research has supported beneficial effects of mindfulness
interventions among individuals with physical and mental disability (e.g., Ruskin et al., 2017;
Thornton et al., 2017), the current empirical study examines whether diagnosed disability
influences a person’s tendencies towards mindfulness, tendency to self-criticize, and their
willingness to partake in mindfulness-based practices.We examined these variables across both
diasabled and non disabled participants in order to better understand best practices for
mindfulness research and treatment in the disability population. The study found trait
mindfulness and self-criticism to be negatively correlated, and that the acceptance subscale of
mindfulness was significantly lower in the disability group. A mediation analysis showed that
this was significantly influenced by higher self-criticism levels in the disability group
participants. In terms of willingness, moderation analysis supports that in low levels of
self-criticism there is no difference in the willingness of disabled and non-disabled participants,
but as self-criticism increased, non disabled participant willingness rose but disabled participant
willingness decreased. Thus, findings suggest that higher self-criticism in the disability
population may hinder the ability to be mindful and/or their willingness to participate in
mindfulness programs.
