THE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS, FEAR-INDUCING STIMULI, AND FEAR OF EMOTION ON AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR

Previous research has shown that those with PTSD may fear their emotions, which in turn may increase avoidance behavior and help to maintain PTSD symptoms. The current study used an analogue laboratory design to investigate whether engaging in a brief mindfulness induction may result in decreased avoidance behavior following a fear-inducing stimulus. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to listen to a brief mindfulness induction (or control) and were then shown a fear-inducing or neutral film clip. Avoidance behavior was measured by likelihood of quitting and persistence length on a frustrating math task. Of those participants watching the fear-inducing film clip, those in the mindfulness group persisted longer and were less likely to quit the frustrating task than those in the control audio group. Contrary to predictions, there was no significant effect of reported fear of emotion on avoidance behavior. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.