Mindfulness Experience and the Comparison of Coping Abilities in Individuals with Grief and Substance Use Problems in Ontario, Canada.
Natalie Drever
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science
Applied Psychology
University of Liverpool
May 28th, 2016
Declaration
No portion of this work has been submitted in support of an application for degree or qualification of this or any other university or institute of learning.
Abstract
Background: The co-occurrence of substance use and misuse (SUM) and grief is well established in the literature. The potential benefits of mindfulness experience is being investigated with increasing frequency and has been explored separately for both SUM populations and grief populations. Mindfulness skills have been identified as a means to develop coping abilities. Research is limited on the differences and/or similarities in coping abilities of SUM and grieving populations.
Aim: To examine the differing coping abilities of individuals with SUM, grief, both, or neither and whether or not experience with mindfulness activities such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness based stress reduction courses (MBSR) account for some differences in coping ability.
Methods: A quasi-experimental between groups survey design, was employed to compare the coping abilities of participants with SUM, grief, both, and controls based upon mindfulness experiences. Coping was assessed using the Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI). Mindfulness experience was determined by responses to screening questions. Participants were categorized to groups using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test- Consumption (AUDIT-C) and Drug Abuse Screening Test -10 (DAST-10), and grief screening questions. MANCOVA analysis was used, controlling for the covariate of gender, to determine differences between groups.
Results: MANCOVA revealed a main effect for mindfulness experience F(7,99) = 2.221, p <.05 with strategic coping and avoidance coping both indicating significant differences (p < .05) between mindfulness groups. The overall MANCOVA was not significant, indicating no differences in coping ability among groups categorized as SUM, grief, both SUM, and grief, or neither and no significant interaction between mindfulness groups and SUM/grief groups.
Conclusion: Study findings that strategic planning and avoidance coping skills were different between mindfulness groups call for further investigation. Future studies would benefit from examining strategic and avoidant coping skills in a SUM and/or grief treatment seeking population to clarify differences between groups.
