Abstract
Although mindfulness has been linked with salutary clinical outcomes, less is known about its relation to cognitive mechanisms
implicated in the onset and maintenance of alcohol dependence. Because trait mindfulness is associated with attentional control
and emotion regulation, we hypothesized that trait mindfulness would be inversely associated with attentional bias towards
visual alcohol cues. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of alcohol-dependent adults residing in a treatment facility, who
completed questionnaires on trait mindfulness, craving, and stress, as well as a spatial cueing task designed to assess alcohol
attentional bias. Recovering alcohol-dependent individuals high in trait mindfulness exhibited less alcohol attentional bias
(AB), stress, and craving, and greater alcohol-related self-efficacy, than their counterparts low in trait mindfulness. Multiple
linear regression analyses indicated that trait mindfulness was more predictive of alcohol AB than stress, craving, alcohol-related
self-efficacy, time in treatment, or pre-treatment level of alcohol consumption. Identification of malleable traits that can
offset automatic cognitive mechanisms implicated in addiction may prove to be crucial to treatment development efforts.
implicated in the onset and maintenance of alcohol dependence. Because trait mindfulness is associated with attentional control
and emotion regulation, we hypothesized that trait mindfulness would be inversely associated with attentional bias towards
visual alcohol cues. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of alcohol-dependent adults residing in a treatment facility, who
completed questionnaires on trait mindfulness, craving, and stress, as well as a spatial cueing task designed to assess alcohol
attentional bias. Recovering alcohol-dependent individuals high in trait mindfulness exhibited less alcohol attentional bias
(AB), stress, and craving, and greater alcohol-related self-efficacy, than their counterparts low in trait mindfulness. Multiple
linear regression analyses indicated that trait mindfulness was more predictive of alcohol AB than stress, craving, alcohol-related
self-efficacy, time in treatment, or pre-treatment level of alcohol consumption. Identification of malleable traits that can
offset automatic cognitive mechanisms implicated in addiction may prove to be crucial to treatment development efforts.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10608-011-9378-7
- Authors
- Eric L. Garland, College of Social Work, Trinity Institute for the Addictions, Florida State University, 296 Champions Way, PO Box 3062570, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- Charlotte A. Boettiger, Department of Psychology, Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Susan Gaylord, School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation—Program on Integrative Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Vicki West Chanon, Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Matthew O. Howard, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Journal Cognitive Therapy and Research
- Online ISSN 1573-2819
- Print ISSN 0147-5916