Age and sex-specific differences of mindfulness traits with measurement invariance controlled in Chinese adult population: A pilot study.
Ruochen Gan, Yanping Wei, Limin Sun, Liuyi Zhang, Jiayu Wang, Tingfei Zhu, Shulin Chen, Jiang Xue
Heliyon August 29, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19608 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,777 |
| Population | Chinese adults |
| Measures | Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Chinese population Measurement invariance Confirmatory factor analysis Mindfulness traits |
| Key findings | The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire showed acceptable measurement invariance across age and sex in Chinese adults. Adults aged 60 or above scored higher than younger individuals on acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience, and total mindfulness, while younger individuals scored higher on observing. Females scored higher on describing and observing, and males scored higher on nonreactivity to inner experience. |
Abstract
Objectives: To examine the relationships of age and sex with mindfulness traits among Chinese adults with controlling for measurement invariance.
Methods: A total of 1777 participants completing the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire were included for analysis. Their age and sex information were also collected. Descriptive analysis, Pearson's Chi-Square test and analysis of variance were performed to test the age- and sex-specific differences, measurement invariance was examined by confirmatory factor analysis.
Results: Excellent data fit to the model indicated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across age and sex. Participants aged 60 or above scored significantly higher in dimensions of acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience, and the total scores than younger individuals, who had higher scores in the observing domain. In addition, females scored higher in describing and observing than males, while the latter had higher score in nonreactivity to inner experience.
Conclusions: The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Mindfulness showed acceptable measurement invariance across age and sex in Chinese adult population. The old and the young differs in the traits of awareness, observing, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience and the total mindfulness level, while males and females varied in describing, observing and nonreactivity to inner experience. Individual differences should be considered and well addressed in future studies on mindfulness.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- The association between mindfulness, resilience, and academic achievement of pharmacy students in Saudi Arabia Frontiers in Public Health October 22, 2024
- The moderating role of trait mindfulness on pain perception: insights from pain-related electroencephalography oscillations. PAIN Reports October 7, 2025
Cites 16
- 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
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Psychological Well-being and Quality of Life: Is Increased Mindfulness Indeed the Mechanism? Annals of Behavioral Medicine June 1, 2008
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
and 11 more in the library