Development and Initial Validation of the State Four Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire.

A new questionnaire called the State Four Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (state-4FMQ) was developed and validated to measure momentary mindfulness after meditation. Adapted from the trait Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, it captures four facets of mindfulness—excluding Nonreactivity. In two studies with undergraduates who completed a 20-minute mindfulness meditation, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure. A short-form was also established. The state-4FMQ showed good internal consistency and convergent, predictive, and construct validity. Some facets predicted momentary well-being more strongly than others, supporting the questionnaire's use across various situations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The current research aimed to provide initial psychometric validation of a new multifaceted mindfulness questionnaire (referred to as the State Four Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, or the "state-4FMQ" for short) adapted from the commonly used Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (referred to as the "trait-FFMQ"). The research was divided into two pre-registered studies. In both, undergraduates partook in a 20-minute mindfulness meditation (via audio recording), and then answered questions, including the state-4FMQ, pertaining to their experience during the meditation. In Study 2, participants additionally partook in a 20-minute control condition. The state-4FMQ was developed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA; Study 1) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; Study 2). In Study 2, a short-form of the state-4FMQ was established, and several additional forms of measurement validity were tested. EFA and CFA results supported a four-factor structure, which was identical to the trait-FFMQ with the exclusion of Nonreactivity. This newly created state-4FMQ, and its short-form, showed good internal consistency as well as convergent, predictive, and construct validity. In addition, it was found that some facets, more than others, predicted momentary well-being. The validity of the state-4FMQ shows that it can be used to measure multiple facets of state mindfulness across a variety of situations.