Contextual Behaviour Sciences
Our lab aims to advance Contextual Behavioural Sciences, understand key mechanisms of change, how to measure them, and their cultural responsivity.
Psychological Flexibility, Goal Abstraction and Mental Health
We worked with Dr Rebecca Grattan to test whether psychological flexibility moderates the relationship between goal abstraction and mental health. We found that people with abstract goals and low psychological flexibility reported significantly higher stress and depressive symptoms, while this effect was not seen for concrete goals. The findings suggest that psychological flexibility may buffer against distress when pursuing abstract goals, supporting its role as a transdiagnostic process in mental health.
Valued Living and mTBI
We worked with Dr Diane Whiting and found that individuals with a pre-injury mental health condition or higher depressive symptoms reported significantly lower valued living, while valued living was not associated with anxiety, stress, or functional disability. These findings suggest that values-based interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), may be particularly beneficial for those with depressive symptoms following mTBI.
Psychological Flexibility and mTBI
In a series of papers, we explored psychological flexibility in mTBI, highlighting its potential as a treatment target to improve recovery after mTBI.
Hypothetical Role
We hypothesise that psychological flexibility plays a central role in the development and maintenance of persistent symptoms following mTBI.
Measurement
We found the AAQ-ABI (Reactive Avoidance) to be a reliable and valid measure of psychological flexibility in people with mTBI.
Predicted Persisting Symptoms
Psychological flexibility within three months of mTBI predicted more severe post-concussion symptoms and greater psychological distress six months later.