Author: Tran US1, Cebolla A2, Glück TM1, Soler J3, Garcia-Campayo J4, von Moy T1.
Affiliation: 1University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 2University Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain; Ciber Fisiopatologia de la obesidad y la nutrición (CIBEROBN), Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 3Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica-Sant Pau (IIB-SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain. 4University of Zaragoza, Instituto Aragones de Ciencias de la Salud, Red Investigación Atención Primaria (RD 12/005/006), Zaragoza, Spain.
Conference/Journal: Plos One
Date published: 2014 Oct 16
Other:
Volume ID: 9 , Issue ID: 10 , Pages: e110192 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110192 , Word Count: 197
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the psychometric and structural properties of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) among meditators, to develop a short form, and to examine associations of mindfulness with mental health and the mechanisms of mindfulness.
METHODS:
Two independent samples were used, a German (n = 891) and a Spanish (n = 393) meditator sample, practicing various meditation styles. Structural and psychometric properties of the FFMQ were investigated with multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling. Associations with mental health and mechanisms of mindfulness were examined with path analysis.
RESULTS:
The derived short form broadly matched a previous item selection in samples of non-meditators. Self-regulated Attention and Orientation to Experience governed the facets of mindfulness on a higher-order level. Higher-order factors of mindfulness and meditation experience were negatively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, and perceived stress. Decentering and nonattachment were the most salient mechanisms of mindfulness. Aspects of emotion regulation, bodily awareness, and nonattachment explained the effects of mindfulness on depression and anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS:
A two-component conceptualization for the FFMQ, and for the study of mindfulness as a psychological construct, is recommended for future research. Mechanisms of mindfulness need to be examined in intervention studies.
PMID: 25330072