Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS): Psychometric properties of the French translation and exploration of its relations with emotion regulation strategies.

Over the past few years, several questionnaires have been developed to measure mindfulness. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was created to specifically capture attention and awareness in daily life (Brown & Ryan, 2003). In this article, we present a French adaptation of the MAAS. In the 1st study, we explored the psychometric properties of this adaptation. In the 2nd study, we investigated its relation to cognitive emotion regulation and depressive symptomatology using path analysis. As in the original version of the MAAS, the French adaptation has a strong 1-factor structure. Moreover, there was a negative relationship between the MAAS and the severity of depressive symptoms, both directly and indirectly. The indirect pathway was mediated by the nonadaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy of self-blame and the adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy of positive reappraisal. In conclusion, this questionnaire represents a valid mindfulness measure for French-speaking clinicians and researchers.

[1]  F. Rouillon,et al.  La version française de l'échelle CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale). Description et traduction de l'échelle d'autoévaluation. , 1989 .

[2]  R. Ryan,et al.  Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects , 2007 .

[3]  M. Linehan,et al.  Cognitive-Behavioral Tradition Mindfulness and Acceptance: Expanding the , 2005 .

[4]  P. Bentler,et al.  Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis : Conventional criteria versus new alternatives , 1999 .

[5]  J. Kabat-Zinn,et al.  Full catastrophe living : using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness , 1990 .

[6]  P. Trapnell,et al.  Private self-consciousness and the five-factor model of personality: distinguishing rumination from reflection. , 1999, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[7]  Z. Segal,et al.  Cognitive reactivity to sad mood provocation and the prediction of depressive relapse. , 2006, Archives of general psychiatry.

[8]  B P O'Connor,et al.  SPSS and SAS programs for determining the number of components using parallel analysis and Velicer’s MAP test , 2000, Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc.

[9]  B. Byrne.  Book Review: Structural Equation Modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming , 1994 .

[10]  M. Linden,et al.  Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ): Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Psychometric Properties of the French Translation , 2006 .

[11]  L. Radloff.  The CES-D Scale , 1977 .

[12]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models , 2004, Behavior research methods, instruments, & computers : a journal of the Psychonomic Society, Inc.

[13]  N. O’Rourke.  Equivalence of French and English Language Versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) among Caregivers of Persons with Dementia* , 2003, Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement.

[14]  R. Ryan,et al.  The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[15]  Gregory T. Smith,et al.  Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness , 2006, Assessment.

[16]  J. Teasdale,et al.  Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. , 2004, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[17]  Gregory T. Smith,et al.  Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report , 2004, Assessment.

[18]  James J. Gross,et al.  Emotion Regulation in Adulthood: Timing Is Everything , 2001 .

[19]  Z. Segal,et al.  Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition , 2004 .

[20]  W. Velicer.  Determining the number of components from the matrix of partial correlations , 1976 .

[21]  R. Baumeister,et al.  Losing Control: How and Why People Fail at Self-Regulation , 1994 .

[22]  K. Brown,et al.  Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a cancer population. , 2005, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[23]  Z. Segal,et al.  Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse , 2001 .

[24]  A. Stanton,et al.  Coping through emotional approach: scale construction and validation. , 2000, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[25]  Z. Segal,et al.  The Toronto Mindfulness Scale: development and validation. , 2006, Journal of clinical psychology.

[26]  E D Carlson,et al.  A case study in translation methodology using the Health-Promotion Lifestyle Profile II. , 2000, Public health nursing.

[27]  Stefan Schmidt,et al.  Measuring mindfulness—the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) , 2006 .

[28]  James MacKillop,et al.  Further Psychometric Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) , 2007 .

[29]  A. Beck,et al.  Development and Validation of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale: A Preliminary Investigation. , 1978 .

[30]  J. Laurenceau,et al.  Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: The Development and Initial Validation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R) , 2007 .

[31]  Richard G. Moore,et al.  Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: empirical evidence. , 2002, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[32]  C. Carver,et al.  On the Self-Regulation of Behavior , 1998 .

[33]  Kristopher J Preacher,et al.  Addressing Moderated Mediation Hypotheses: Theory, Methods, and Prescriptions , 2007, Multivariate behavioral research.

[34]  P. Spinhoven,et al.  Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and emotional problems , 2001 .

[35]  J. Kabat-Zinn,et al.  Wherever you go, there you are : mindfulness meditation in everyday life , 1994 .

[36]  M. Rothbart,et al.  Attention in Early Development: Themes and Variations , 1996 .

[37]  Harald Walach,et al.  Measuring mindfulness in insight meditation (Vipassana) and meditationbased psychotherapy: The development of the Freiburg mindfulness inventory (FMI). Journal for Meditation and Meditation Research, . , 2001 .

[38]  T. Barnhofer.  Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach for preventing relapse , 2002 .