Social Response to Mindfulness in Azerbaijan: The Impact of Skepticism and Stigma on Interest in and Willingness to Practice Mindfulness Among Azerbaijani Adults.

Abstract

Mindfulness practices are known for their effectiveness in improving people’s subjective well-being on both physiological and psychological levels. Research on this topic is gaining popularity. The psychological research in Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is not well-developed, and many gaps in existing research need to be addressed to gain a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms of this culture. To address the question of whether skepticism and stigma around psychology and mental health present in Azerbaijan would serve as a barrier to people’s perceptions of mindfulness practices, I conducted a pilot study that aimed at measuring Azerbaijani adults’ interest in and willingness to practice mindfulness. I examined whether informational triggers regarding physical versus mental health benefits of mindfulness would influence their responses. I hypothesized that because of skepticism and stigmatization that create negative beliefs and expectations around psychology and mental health, with the presence of informational trigger in the context of mental health, there would be a barrier to being open-minded and willing to participate in mindfulness-related activities and practices, despite them being beneficial. The responses of 91 participants were analyzed by performing a one-way ANOVA. The hypothesis was supported by the results of the study that suggest that people in the “mental health” information group demonstrated lower levels of interest in and willingness to practice mindfulness. Implications, limitations, and future directions arising from these findings are also discussed in this paper.