Abstract
ObjectivesThe Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is a popular self-report instrument for mindfulness assessment. However, several studies report mixed evidence regarding its reliability and validity. While recent replication studies have shown several issues regarding its latent structure, first-order facets seemed to replicate successfully. This study proposes an exploratory approach to these facets on an item level in one sample, with cross-validation in another sample.MethodsUsing a snowball sampling, 1008 participants were recruited in the first sample. Psychometric networks were applied to explore relations between items and item clusters. We compared these exploratory latent variable proposals with previous literature. A second sample of 1210 participants was collected from an FFMQ validation study, and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to cross-validate findings on the first sample.ResultsThe FFMQ showed a positively correlated network. Exploratory analyses suggested the 5-facet structure as stable with alternatives of 4-facet (merging Observe and Non-Judging) and 6-facet (splitting Acting with Awareness in two) solutions. However, the CFAs in the second sample did not provide clear support to any solution.ConclusionsThe FFMQ showed unclear evidence on its latent structure. We propose researchers and users of the FFMQ to use the most fitting solution between the 5 and 6-facet solutions in their data, since the 4-facet solution is difficult to interpret. We also propose cautionary notes and guidelines for researchers and applied users of the FFMQ and regarding this instrument. We conclude that more research is needed in mindfulness assessment to provide robust measurements.
Highlights
This study aimed to explore the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) facets to generate an interpretable solution for existing and future research
Results show that the 5-facet solution produces a suitable network supported by EGA, two alternative structures are proposed: A 4-facet structure, merging Observe and Non-Reacting, and a 6-facet structure, splitting Acting with Awareness in two, named Distractibility and Mindless Actions
We could think that these items assess a contemplative mindset characterized by an equanimity attitude to the phenomena that constitute the experience
Summary
The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is a popular self-report instrument for mindfulness assessment. While recent replication studies have shown several issues regarding its latent structure, first-order facets seemed to replicate successfully. This study proposes an exploratory approach to these facets on an item level in one sample, with cross-validation in another sample. Psychometric networks were applied to explore relations between items and item clusters. We compared these exploratory latent variable proposals with previous literature. A second sample of 1210 participants was collected from an FFMQ validation study, and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to cross-validate findings on the first sample. Conclusions The FFMQ showed unclear evidence on its latent structure. We propose cautionary notes and guidelines for researchers and applied users of the FFMQ and regarding this instrument. We conclude that more research is needed in mindfulness assessment to provide robust measurements
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