Validation of the Spanish Version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in a Sample of Argentinian College Students

Abstract

Objectives: Mindfulness has been conceptualized as intentionally paying attention to the present moment without judgment. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is one of the most popular measures to assess trait mindfulness. The accurate assessment of mindfulness dispositions is essential for both clinical and research purposes. However, there is limited evidence regarding the psychometric properties of the FFMQ in Argentinian samples. The present study aimed to examine reliability and structural and concurrent validity of the Spanish version of the FFMQ in a sample of Argentinian college students. Methods: A sample of 632 students (69% women; M age = 24.47, SD = 5.76) enrolled at five public universities in Argentina completed an online survey that assessed mindfulness-related traits (Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, Nonjudging of Inner Experience, and Nonreactivity to Inner Experience), emotion-regulation strategies, facets of anxiety sensibility, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: FFMQ subscales exhibited adequate internal consistency values (α between 0.77 and 0.89; ω between 0.79 and 0.89). An intercorrelated 5-factor model structure showed acceptable fit to the data. The findings also supported configural, metric and scalar invariance across sex and levels of mindfulness experience. The FFMQ demonstrated sensitivity to discriminate participants with vs. without mindfulness experience. We also observed significant correlations between mindfulness dimensions and theoretically-related variables. Conclusions: The present findings support the reliability and validity of FFMQ scores among Argentinian college students. This evidence supports the use of the FFMQ as an appropriate instrument for assessing dispositional mindfulness in Argentinian college students.