5 Nov 2011
Estimated completion date: Aug 2012
Character strengths as mediators in mindfulness based intervention for recovery from addictive behaviour: a study in psychology of religion and positive psychology
A PhD project by
Sahaya G. Selvam, Heythrop College, University of London
Tentative Project Summary
- There is an increasing interest in studying the association between spirituality and recovery from addiction; there have been also some attempts at exploring the mediators of the association. There is a lack, however, in finding a viable theoretical framework in psychology within which to interpret this association. In an attempt to elucidate the increasing evidence and to suggest a theoretical framework, this PhD project examined the role of character strengths in a Christian mindfulness-based intervention to facilitate recovery from addictive behaviours.
- Values in Action in positive psychology lists 24 character strengths. These were chosen as the theoretical framework. A Christian Mindfulness intervention was evolved within the domain of religious spirituality integrating the use of Jesus Prayer, Labyrinth and Mindfulness Journaling.
- It was hypothesized that character strengths will be negatively correlated, though in different degrees, to measures of three different types of addictive behaviour (compulsive use of internet, risky drinking, and sex addiction). It was further predicted that a Christian mindfulness intervention will boost up the character strengths and thus facilitate recovery from addictive behaviour.
- The empirical part of the research was carried out in two phases involving a survey cum experiment design. In the survey, data were collected through questionnaires from among young adults (N=504, aged from18 to 30) inNairobi,Kenya. From among the participants of the survey, 108 participants were recruited for the experiment phase based on some eligibility criteria (scoring over the cut off point on one of the addiction measures and being available for 10 weeks). They were randomised into three groups, matching for age and gender. The participants were not told the results of their scores in the survey, and were blind to the hypotheses. Those who completed the 10-week experiment for Christian Mindfulness intervention (n=23), Life-skills intervention (n=24), and Control (n=24) conditions were 71. While the control group had no intervention, participants under the Mindfulness and Life-skills conditions were followed up by two teams of trainers who were also blind to the hypotheses. Both intervention conditions began with a weekend-training followed by continued training for 9 Saturdays (lasting 90 minutes each). At the end, the three groups repeated the measures.
- Generally, the data emerging from the survey showed negative correlation between several character strengths and addictive behaviours, though love for learning was positively correlated to compulsive use of internet. Multiple Linear Regression showed more interesting findings. Descriptive statistics from the experiment phase showed that the mindfulness-based intervention had better effect on participants with risky alcohol drinking and those with compulsive use of internet, as compared with the effect of other experiment conditions. And the life-skills intervention had better effect on participants with sex addiction. However, ANOVA tests showed no statistical significance across conditions of intervention for any of the addictive behaviour.
- The absence of significant results across conditions may be attributed to insufficient number of participants, and the lack of robustness in the instruments themselves.
- Furthermore, no clear pattern in the effect of intervention on character strengths was also observed. This could be due to various reasons including the weakness of the VIA test (as shown by factor analysis and the lack of test/retest reliability), and lack of cross-cultural validity; possibly the effect of taking the VIA test could have had an effect on the control group. Moreover, an analysis of the contents of the life-skills training, over which the researcher had no control, showed some explicit reference to character strengths. In any case, the case study of two participants sheds more light on the underlying dynamics of the Christian Mindfulness Intervention vis-à-vis the character strengths, and their effect on addictive behaviour.
- The present PhD project has made some modest contributions:
- to addiction research – by showing that there are varieties of addictive behaviour; by adding data to the argument that compulsive use of internet might have different trajectories as compared to other addictive behaviour; and exploring a possible theoretical framework to understand mindfulness interventions in addiction recovery;
- to positive psychology – by exploring the correlation between character strengths and addictive behaviours; by pointing out to the lack in reliable measures of character strengths;
- to psychology of religion – by proposing a new construct called ‘religious spirituality’; by evolving a Christian mindfulness intervention that is grounded in theory and practice, and has tested its possible effect on addictive behaviour.
- This study also opens up several areas for possible future research work:
- to cross-cultural research
- to evolve a more robust measure for character strengths;
- to evolve a strengths based intervention that integrates mindfulness and life-skills and test their effect on wellbeing as understood within positive psychology.