Development of the mind-wandering inventory to assess people with clinically significant depression, anxiety, and chronic pain after mindfulness practice

A new Mind-Wandering Inventory was developed and psychometrically validated for clinical assessment and treatment evaluation within mindfulness-based interventions. The authors note that existing mind-wandering scales assess trait-level experiences, but no clinically-focused scale exists for measuring mind-wandering during mindfulness practices. Early mindfulness training is often challenging for individuals with mood, anxiety, and pain conditions, and qualitative research shows participants gradually learn to become self-aware of mind-wandering content. The inventory aims to provide a progress marker for improving the design and evaluation of mindfulness interventions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions have received empirical support in recent decades for the management of symptoms related to depression, anxiety (Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010) and chronic pain (Chiesa & Serretti, 2011). These interventions often provide training in mindfulness practices, including the introductory practice of mindful breathing which involves paying nonjudmental attention to one’s cognitive, emotional, and physical experiences and continously shifting attention back to breathing sensations (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Early mindfulness training experiences are likely to be challenging for individuals with mood, anxiety, and pain conditions given vulnerabilities for experiencing, and getting caught up with, symptoms (e.g., worry, rumination, and pain-related distress) amidst practice. Qualitative research on mindfulness interventions has revealed participants with depression and anxiety commonly experience initial struggles in learning mindfulness practices and gradually learn to become self-aware of their mind-wandering content during practice (Finucane & Mercer, 2006; Hjeltnes, Binder, Moltu, & Dundas, 2015). There are a few mind-wandering scales for assessing mind-wandering experiences on a trait level, including the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (Mrazek, Phillips, Franklin, Broadway, & Schooler, 2013) and the Imaginal Processes Inventory (Giambra, 1980). However, it is noteworthy that there are no known clinically-focused mind-wandering assessment scales within the context of mindfulness-based interventions. There remains potential in assessing participant’s mind-wandering experiences during mindfulness practices to attain a key progress marker for improving the design and evaluation of mindfulness interventions. The purpose of the present study is to develop and psychometrically validate a Mind-Wandering Inventory for clinical assessment and treatment evaluation purposes.