The Relevance of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire According to the Views of Experienced Meditators in India

• Published in: The Humanistic psychologist 2024-12, Vol.52 (4), p.369-391
• Main Authors: Raman, Kalpana, Siegert, Richard J., Krägeloh, Christian U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Content Validity; Human; Mindfulness Meditation; Psychometrics; Sociocultural Factors; Spirituality; Test Reliability
• ISSN: 0887-3267; 1547-3333
• DOI: 10.1037/hum0000342

Despite the interest in mindfulness research, there is a dearth of studies about mindfulness assessment in India. Particularly, little is known about the extent to which the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) represents content relevant for experienced meditators in Indian cultural and spiritual contexts. A sequential explanatory mixed-method design was used for this study. Six experienced meditators completed the standard FFMQ along with corresponding perceived importance items, followed by retrospective cognitive interviews. In addition to quantitative analysis related to reliability, content validity, and agreement, qualitative data from cognitive interviews were used to explore the reasons for high and low ratings of some items. Most of the items on the FFMQ facets act with awareness (75%), and nonreact (85.7%) were rated by all participants as being important. For 87.5% of the items in the describe facet, there was moderate agreement among the meditators regarding their importance. Only one out of eight items in each of the observe and nonjudge facets were rated as important by all participants. The qualitative statements supported the quantitative results by throwing some light on the reasons for high and low agreement. The observe and nonjudge facets were found to have questionable content validity for use with meditators in India who are non-Buddhist and also do not practice in mindfulness-based interventions contexts. Future psychometric work in India will need to explore to what extent a shortened version, excluding the low validity items of the FFMQ, may be a suitable alternative. Public Significance Statement This article examines the content validity of the multidimensional model (five-facet) of mindfulness as assessed by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The study focuses on experienced meditators from non-Buddhist and nonmindfulness-based intervention (non-MBI) contexts in India. The research holds broader implications due to the lack of consensus in the West regarding the FFMQ's applicability across diverse cultures, philosophies, religious, and meditative practices. Through evaluating a popular mindfulness assessment tool, this research endeavors to help confirm its reliability and validity for measuring mindfulness in meditators within non-MBI settings globally.