Assessment
January 27, 2006
Ruth A. Baer, Gregory T. Smith, Jaclyn Hopkins et al.
7,526 citations
Mindfulness is composed of at least five distinct facets, as shown by analyses of five new questionnaires given to two large groups of undergraduates. Four of these facets appear to be part of an overall mindfulness construct, and their structure may differ depending on meditation experience. The facets relate differently to other psychological constructs and predict psychological symptoms beyond what other measures do, supporting a multifaceted view of mindfulness.
Assessment
February 29, 2008
Ruth A. Baer, Gregory T. Smith, Emily L. B. Lykins et al.
2,933 citations
Mindfulness as measured by self-report includes five component skills: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience, assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The authors examined the construct validity of the FFMQ in experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups. Most mindfulness facets were significantly related to meditation experience and to psychological symptoms and well-being. The relationship between the observing facet and psychological adjustment varied with meditation experience. Several facets independently predicted well-being and mediated the relationship between meditation experience and well-being, supporting the FFMQ's construct validity in these samples.
Assessment
September 1, 2004
Ruth A. Baer, Gregory T. Smith, Kristin B. Allen
2,283 citations
A new self-report questionnaire measuring four mindfulness skills—observing, describing, acting with awareness, and accepting without judgment—shows good reliability and a clear factor structure. These skills relate differently to personality and mental health: they are linked to neuroticism, psychological symptoms, emotional intelligence, alexithymia, experiential avoidance, dissociation, and absorption. The findings suggest mindfulness is not a single trait but a set of distinct abilities with unique connections to well-being.
Assessment
May 14, 2012
Tory A. Eisenlohr‐Moul, Erin C. Walsh, Richard Charnigo et al.
139 citations
The relationship between present-moment observation and substance use depends on a person's tendency to be nonreactive. Among 296 undergraduates, higher observation scores were linked to less substance use when nonreactivity was high, but to more substance use when nonreactivity was low. This suggests that merely noticing experiences without also being nonreactive may increase substance use, while combining observation with nonreactivity may be protective.
Assessment
December 30, 2010
Ruth A. Baer, Douglas B. Samuel, Emily L. B. Lykins
95 citations
The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire shows minimal differential item functioning (DIF) when comparing demographically matched meditators and nonmeditators. A prior study had reported high DIF for 18 of 39 items in unmatched samples, with meditators more likely to endorse positively worded items and nonmeditators more likely to deny negatively worded reverse-scored items. This replication used matched samples of 115 meditators and 115 nonmeditators and found little or no evidence for DIF or differential relationships between positively and negatively worded items. The findings suggest that scoring direction does not bias comparisons of demographically similar meditators and nonmeditators on this questionnaire.
Assessment
May 18, 2021
Simon B. Goldberg, Scott A. Baldwin, Kevin M. Riordan et al.
73 citations
A six-item Digital Working Alliance Inventory (DWAI) measuring the working alliance in unguided smartphone-based interventions shows good psychometric properties. In a cross-sectional survey of 290 meditation app users and the intervention arm of a randomized trial with 314 participants, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a single-factor structure. The DWAI demonstrated adequate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity (no association with social desirability, psychological distress, or preference for a waitlist condition). Convergent validity was supported by positive associations with perceived app effectiveness and preference for an app condition. DWAI scores positively predicted self-reported and objective app utilization. When assessed at Weeks 3 or 4, but not earlier, DWAI scores predicted pre-post reductions in psychological distress.
Assessment
April 1, 2022
Joel N Fishbein, Ruth A. Baer, Joshua Correll et al.
13 citations
A new questionnaire measures self-transcendence—distancing from mental content, distinguishing an observer of experience, and experiencing connectedness with others—as promoted in contextual cognitive behavioral therapies. Exploratory factor analysis and bifactor models supported three of four proposed facets. These facets correlated with decentering, defusion, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness, and predicted psychological well-being beyond other measures. The findings support a CCBT-informed model of self-transcendence and provide a tool for future research and intervention targets.
Assessment
March 31, 2025
Stephen Raynes, Karen Dobkins
4 citations
A new questionnaire called the State Four Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (state-4FMQ) was developed and validated to measure momentary mindfulness after meditation. Adapted from the trait Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, it captures four facets of mindfulness—excluding Nonreactivity. In two studies with undergraduates who completed a 20-minute mindfulness meditation, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure. A short-form was also established. The state-4FMQ showed good internal consistency and convergent, predictive, and construct validity. Some facets predicted momentary well-being more strongly than others, supporting the questionnaire's use across various situations.