Relax while you rehabilitate: A pilot study integrating a novel, yoga-based mindfulness group intervention into a residential military brain injury rehabilitation program.

OBJECTIVE: This preliminary, pilot study assessed the effectiveness of a group-based, mindfulness intervention in a residential, rehabilitation setting with specific focus on assessing participants' self-report of perceived benefit of the intervention on overall health, pain, sleep, mood/anxiety, attention, and self-awareness, as well as implementing modifications needed for successful intervention application among a diverse, clinical military population. METHOD/DESIGN: Participants were 19 veterans and active duty service members with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI; 63% severe) who completed a mindfulness-based group intervention during inpatient admission at a Veterans Affairs Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program (PTRP). Mindfulness and yoga skills were taught in a required, weekly group incorporated into participants' rehabilitation schedule. Opinions and attitudes about mindfulness, as well as pertinent self-report outcome measures, were obtained pre- and postgroup participation. RESULTS: Results suggested that participation in the group was positively associated with individuals' self-reported belief about the benefit of mindfulness in the areas of overall health, physical health, mood, focus, and self-awareness. The more groups attended, the more positive the participants' beliefs about potential impact on overall health and mood became, even while controlling for length of rehabilitation stay. Additionally, several specific group modifications relevant to this population (e.g., physical/environmental modifications, repetition, ignoring/reorienting) were implemented to support successful participation. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: These preliminary and exploratory findings suggest that it may be worthwhile for psychologists, clinicians, and other health care providers working with a mixed TBI population, and more specifically a military population with TBI, to consider introducing mindfulness skills as part of multidisciplinary rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record

Spiritual Openness, Revisiting a Potentially Important Aspect of Spirituality: Scale Review and Revision.

Religiousness and spirituality (R/S) exert important influences on individuals across a range of domains. Spiritual Openness is theoretically linked with the personality trait of Openness to Experience, suggesting promise for future research. Using responses from 366 undergraduates on the Spiritual Experience Index-Revised (SEI-R: subscales of Spiritual Openness and Spiritual Support), analyses evaluated and revised the SEI-R, deleting poor items and generating a 10-item measure. The new SEI-S exhibits better psychometric properties and reduced participant burden, and subscales displayed a curvilinear relationship in which increases in Spiritual Openness showed a trade-off in levels of Spiritual Support.

Yoga attitudes in chronic low back pain: Roles of catastrophizing and fear of movement.

Chronic low back pain is a significant public health problem and, although underused, yoga may be an effective complementary treatment. The current study examined associations of pain catastrophizing and fear of movement with attitudes toward yoga in adults with chronic low back pain. Participants completed three quantitative questionnaires assessing specific constructs: beliefs about yoga, fear of movement, and pain catastrophizing. A semi-structured in-person interview was then conducted to obtain specific pain-related information. Hierarchical regression and mediational analyses were used to test hypotheses. Consistent with the fear-avoidance model of chronic pain, catastrophizing and fear of movement were negatively associated with yoga attitudes. Specifically, fear of movement was a mediator between catastrophizing and attitudes toward yoga. Individuals with higher levels of catastrophizing and fear of movement may be less likely to consider a pain treatment involving physical movement.

Perceived stress and ADHD symptoms in adults.

OBJECTIVE: Given that ADHD has been linked to dysfunction across development and in many life domains, it is likely that individuals experiencing these symptoms are at increased risk for experiencing stress. The current study examines the association between ADHD and other psychiatric symptoms and perceived stress in a community sample of adults. METHOD: Perceived stress data collected from 983 participants (M(age) = 45.6 years) were analyzed primarily via hierarchical multiple regression using ADHD symptom clusters, demographic variables, and anxiety and depression scale variables as predictors. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: ADHD symptoms positively associated with perceived stress. Inattention and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), as opposed to hyperactivity-impulsivity and newly proposed executive dysfunction symptoms, were the most consistent predictors. These findings reinforce that the experience of ADHD symptoms in adulthood is associated with stress and suggest that SCT could play an important role in assessing risk for negative adult outcomes.

Barriers and facilitators to yoga use in a population of individuals with self-reported chronic low back pain: a qualitative approach.

Yoga has been found to be efficacious in treating chronic low back pain, yet biomedical treatments are most commonly used for pain. Promoting yoga as part of integrative care would reduce exclusive reliance on high-cost, higher-risk biomedical treatments. Attitudes toward yoga play a role in consideration of it as a treatment. The current study examined attitudes toward yoga in adults with chronic low back pain and compared these results to those found in a 2009 general population study. Participants completed a semi-structured interview where they responded to items about perceptions of potential barriers and facilitators to trying yoga. Participant responses were analyzed qualitatively and several common themes emerged. Themes identified by participants indicated there is mixed information about yoga in the public domain and that clarification of what yoga is, how it can be beneficial, and what it requires one to do physically may help promote its use.