Rethinking a facet of mindfulness: development of the Adaptive-Maladaptive Focus Scale
Embargo Date
2027-01-29
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
The way an individual observes their world can impact overall wellbeing. Observation is a fundamental component of mindfulness, as how one chooses to focus can greatly impact one’s ability to live in the present moment. Since there are many benefits to mindfulness, it would be advantageous to have a tool to assess individuals’ type of focus to help individualize mindfulness-based treatments. Current mindfulness questionnaires, such as the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), do not adequately assess for where one tends to focus (internally vs. externally), or the function of that focus (adaptive vs. maladaptive). This gap presented an important opportunity to develop a more refined tool to assess individual differences in mindfulness behaviors. The current project consisted of two studies. The first study aimed to develop a new questionnaire, entitled the Adaptive-Maladaptive Focus Scale (AMFS). In the first phase, 153 participants assisted in item generation through an online survey. The second phase of the study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the AMFS. This involved recruiting participants (N=915) from the general population through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The initial structure of the 48-item AMFS was evaluated, and convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. The results of the exploratory-confirmatory factor analysis indicated a 2-factor solution with an acceptable model fit, resulting in Adaptive and Maladaptive factors (χ2(1128)=9,900.2, p<0.001, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.05 (p<0.05), Tucker-Lewis Index=0.87, Comparative Fit Index=0.98). Following the data-driven approach, items were conceptually divided into internal and external dimensions within the Adaptive and Maladaptive factors (Maladaptive internal α=0.91; Maladaptive external α=0.83; Adaptive internal α=0.77; Adaptive external α=0.85). The final iteration of the AMFS consisted of 30 items. The second study aimed to validate the AMFS with an interoceptive behavioral paradigm and to understand how the AMFS may predict anxiety sensitivity (AS, measured with the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, ASI-3). The study recruited students from Boston University (N=41) to engage in a heart rate perception task, called the Schandry paradigm, which assesses interoceptive focus. Participants completed demographic questions, the AMFS and ASI-3. Findings did not reveal significant correlations between heartbeat perception (HBP) accuracy and either of the internal dimensional scores. There was a trend for Adaptive focus to correlate with HBP scores (r(41)= 0.29, p=0.07). Maladaptive focus was correlated with anxiety AS total scores (r(41)= 0.76, p<0.001). Those with higher overall AS also had more accurate HBP (χ2(1)=5.28, p=0.02). Individuals who endorsed higher physical AS also had more accurate HBP (χ2(3)=9.14, p=0.03). Ultimately, findings from this study revealed the importance of having a validated scale in the anxiety and mindfulness fields to help researchers and clinicians differentiate between types of focus. By understanding where one focuses and why, providers can more adequately individualize treatment, which is an important step forward for functional and precision medicine.
Description
2023