Mindfulness habits in relation to self-criticism: a study in the disabled community

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.