Attitudes Toward Mindfulness and Adherence in Chronic Pain Management

Abstract

Chronic pain is a global public health problem, affecting 10-25% of the population. Mindfulness is an effective treatment but requires consistency. Because of its benefit, it is important to examine obstacles to mindfulness practice. In order to determine if negative attitudes toward mindfulness are related to non-adherence, 748 adults with chronic pain were recruited to fill out a series of questionnaires assessing treatment adherence and attitudes toward mindfulness. We found that positive attitudes toward mindfulness predicted reduced adherence. However, those who had more positive feelings toward mindfulness made more attempts at the therapy. Upper and middle-class participants had more positive attitudes than lower class, but less adherence. Racial minorities had less positive attitudes than Whites, but more positive subjective feelings and greater adherence. The effect of class on attitudes and attempts indicates the need ground the therapy in localized social contexts.