ERIC Number: EJ952836
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-3590
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Adolescent Mindfulness: Validation of an Adapted Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in Adolescent Normative and Psychiatric Populations
Brown, Kirk Warren; West, Angela Marie; Loverich, Tamara M.; Biegel, Gina M.
Psychological Assessment, v23 n4 p1023-1033 Dec 2011
Interest in mindfulness-based interventions for children and adolescents is burgeoning, bringing with it the need for validated instruments to assess mindfulness in youths. The present studies were designed to validate among adolescents a measure of mindfulness previously validated for adults (e.g., Brown & Ryan, 2003), which we herein call the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale--Adolescent (MAAS-A). In 2 large samples of healthy 14- to 18-year-olds (N = 595), Study 1 supported a single-factor MAAS-A structure, along with acceptably high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and both concurrent and incremental validity. In Study 2, with a sample of 102 psychiatric outpatient adolescents age 14-18 years, participants randomized to a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention showed significant increases in MAAS-A scores from baseline to 3-month follow-up, relative to nonsignificant score changes among treatment-as-usual participants. Increases in MAAS-A scores among mindfulness-based stress reduction participants were significantly related to beneficial changes in numerous mental health indicators. The findings support the reliability and validity of the MAAS-A in normative and mixed psychiatric adolescent populations and suggest that the MAAS-A has utility in mindfulness intervention research. (Contains 2 footnotes and 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Intervention, Validity, Adolescents, Measures (Individuals), Attention, Scores, Public Schools, Factor Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Mental Health, Life Satisfaction, Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, Consciousness Raising, Perception, Metacognition, Attention Control, Self Concept
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Flesch Kincaid Grade Level Formula; Hopkins Symptom Checklist; Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale; State Trait Anxiety Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A