The Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality with an Irish sample: a factor analysis

Abstract

Background/Aim: The relationship between increased spirituality and better health has been consistently demonstrated in the US. The Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) is one of the most commonly used measures in the US used to assess the spirituality and religiosity of people with disabilities, but it has not been validated for use with other international populations. This study was carried out to validate the factor structure of the BMMRS with an Irish population so that future research can be carried in spirituality and health research with Irish populations with disabilities. Methods: Based on 180 Irish undergraduate students, a principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalisation was completed. Results: Four factors with extraction eigenvalues greater than 1.0 (4.50, 3.12, 2.56, and 1.90) were identified, and explained a cumulative total of 63.56% of the variance. Based on face validity of the items from each factor, they were labelled as: spiritual coping (eight items: α=0.89); spiritual beliefs (five items: α=0.80); religious practices (three items: α=0.68); and spiritual connectedness (three items: α=0.70). Conclusion: The BMMRS measures distinct dimensions of religion and spirituality in Irish populations similar to those identified with US populations, and appears appropriate for comparative international research.