Psychometric properties of spanish version of mystical experience questionnaire and wellbeing measures

A Spanish translation of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) and other well-being scales showed strong reliability in a sample of 235 Spanish-speaking adults in Puerto Rico. Exploratory factor analysis of 207 responses revealed a three-factor structure explaining 65.46% of the variance, with high internal consistency for the whole MEQ scale (McDonald's ωt = .98). The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II and VanderWeele's Flourishing Measure also demonstrated high internal consistency. These findings indicate that the Spanish versions are appropriate for assessing mystical experiences, psychological flexibility, and flourishing in Spanish-speaking populations, both with and without psychedelic use.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Recent research into psychedelics has found them to be an effective treatment for disorders related to depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. Mystical experiences have proven to mediate the therapeutic effects for outcomes; however, Spanish measures have not been studied thoroughly. In this study we explored the psychometric properties of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and VanderWeele’s Flourishing Measure in a Spanish-speaking sample in Puerto Rico. The MEQ is a 30-item questionnaire that measures the degree of a mystical experience. A total of 235 participants took part in a survey where they answered the MEQ and other well-being questionnaires concerning past or future psychedelic use. For psychometric analysis, 207 participant answers were used for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and internal consistency. EFA revealed a three-factor structure explaining 65.46% of the variance and displayed high internal consistency for each scale (whole scale McDonald’s ωt=.98) of the MEQ. Furthermore, other well-being scales also displayed high internal consistency. The Spanish translation of the MEQ and other well-being scales demonstrated to be appropriate measures for the assessment of mystical experiences, psychological flexibility, and flourishing in a Spanish-speaking sample with and without the use of psychedelics.