Scrutinizing the Components of Mindfulness: Insights from Current, Past, and Non-meditators
Mindfulness July 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-0990-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey with confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical factor analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,247 |
| Population | German-speaking volunteers with different levels of meditation experience (current meditators, past meditators, and non-meditators) |
| Measures | Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 32 |
| Key findings | The authors report that the FFMQ's factor structure varies with meditation experience, especially for the observing facet, which loaded on an overall mindfulness construct differently across current meditators, past meditators, and non-meditators. Past meditators who stopped practicing showed lower awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting but preserved observing and describing, and past meditators with intensive training scored higher on all five facets than those who practiced less. |
Abstract
The factor structure of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) seems to vary across samples depending on whether meditators or non-meditators are studied and whether a sample is analyzed before or after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The current study illustrates the inconsistencies typically found (e.g., whether all five facets can load on an overall construct of mindfulness), as well as provides and tests alternative explanations in three samples with different levels of meditation experience (i.e., current meditators, past meditators, and non-meditators). Altogether, 2247 German-speaking volunteers completed the FFMQ and reported their meditation experiences online. Results showed that the scaling of three facets of the FFMQ (i.e., observing, describing, and non-judging) were constrained in all samples. The past meditators revealed unique features in terms of their mindfulness level: (1) stopping practicing meditation reduced their levels of mindfulness in facets of awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting, yet observing and describing seemed to remain and (2) those past meditators with intensive trainings scored higher in all five facets than those past meditators who practiced less. The CFA yielded a good fit in all three samples. A hierarchical factor analysis showed how the factors unfolded from level to level and demonstrated that in particular the observing facet loaded on the overall construct of mindfulness differently across the three samples. The empirical results confirmed the alternative interpretations on why the discrepancy regarding the loading of the “observing” facet on an overall mindfulness construct occurs, but future studies might think of investigating each hypothesis specifically.
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 13
- Ayahuasca’s ‘afterglow’: improved mindfulness and cognitive flexibility in ayahuasca drinkers Psychopharmacology January 11, 2020
- Placebo effects contribute to brief online mindfulness interventions for chronic pain: results from an online randomized sham-controlled trial. Pain October 1, 2023
- Connectome-Based Predictive Modeling of Trait Mindfulness. Human Brain Mapping 2025
- The Mindful Brain at Rest: Neural Oscillations and Aperiodic Activity in Experienced Meditators Mindfulness October 1, 2024
- Limited Validity of Breath-Counting as a Measure of Mindfulness in Ruminative Adolescents. Psychophysiology May 1, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 9
- 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
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Measuring mindfulness Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
and 4 more in the library