Limited Validity of Breath-Counting as a Measure of Mindfulness in Ruminative Adolescents.
Isaac N Treves, Anna O Tierney, Simon B. Goldberg, Nancie Rouleau, Nicholas Carson, Zev Schuman-Olivier, Christian A. Webb
Psychophysiology May 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.70071 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | Adolescents with elevated rumination |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Breath-counting performance did not show expected positive associations with self-reported mindfulness measures and instead showed negative correlations with observing and nonreactivity subscales, suggesting it may measure a narrow form of sustained attention rather than broader mindfulness qualities. |
Abstract
Objective measurement of mindfulness could help us understand the mechanisms of meditation interventions and how individuals vary in their disposition to be mindful. One proposed measure is the breath-counting task (BCT), which measures how accurately one can count cycles of their breath. Breath counting, which involves sustained attention, meta-awareness, and an internal locus of attention, has been shown in adults to be related to measures of mindfulness even when controlling for established attentional measures. In this study, we test the psychometrics of the BCT in a convenience sample of 78 adolescents with elevated rumination. In preregistered analyses, we related breath-counting measures, including novel objective respiration measures, to a suite of self-report measures as well as the sustained attention to response task (SART). While breath-counting performance showed fair split-half reliability and similar distributions to studies in adults, it did not show the expected positive associations with self-reported mindfulness measures (neither trait nor EMA). Surprisingly, breath-counting accuracy showed negative correlations with a subscale measuring observing of emotions and body sensations, negative correlations with nonreactivity, and performance decrements were larger for individuals scoring more highly on mindfulness in general. The SART showed a small negative correlation with breath-counting resets (an index of mind-wandering). Finally, breath-counting performance was not related to other theoretically relevant clinical, personality, and executive functioning criteria. Our results suggest that, at least in ruminative adolescents, breath-counting may measure a very narrow, contextual form of sustained attention, may not capture other qualities of mindfulness, and may lack predictive validity.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Neurofeedback Training Facilitates Awareness and Enhances Emotional Well-being Associated with Real-World Meditation Practice: A 7-T MRI Study. Mindfulness September 26, 2025
- Measuring mindfulness in children: breath counting is unrelated to self-reported mindfulness but improves after mindfulness practice in 9–13 year-olds Frontiers in Psychology September 30, 2025
- Interoceptive Mindful Breathing: The ISAAA Model for Attentional–Autonomic Alignment Mindfulness August 20, 2026
- Preliminary examination of the validity of a behavioral mindfulness measure in adults with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. Palliative & Supportive Care July 6, 2026
- When attention falters: Brain, breathing, and behavioral signals of lapses in interoceptive attention. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience June 23, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 30
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology's (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 2011
and 25 more in the library