What About the Different Shortened Versions of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale?

Abstract

Given the mixed conclusions on the psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the variety of subsets of items identified as abbreviated forms, the current study aimed to (a) further investigate the performance of single items and different combinations of items of the MAAS from within an Item Response Theory framework, (b) to expand upon existing knowledge about the coverage of the construct of the scale and its shortened versions. A sample of 914 participants (67.6% women; mean age 23.28, SD = 4.77) completed the MAAS. To fulfill the second aim of the study, of the total sample, two subsamples (N = 156 and N = 158, respectively) were administered a battery of self-report questionnaires. Analyses attested that four items of the MAAS have weak psychometric properties and that the reliability of the scale remains unchanged when these items are excluded. The relationships with several constructs (consciousness, present-time attitude, emotional intelligence, alexithymia, emotion regulation strategies, behavioral inhibition and activation, affect, anxiety, and depression) provided evidence that the scale adequately reflects the operationalization of the construct, although some facets of the construct are only partially covered. The current findings confirm that the MAAS might be slightly shortened without reducing its reliability and validity, but drastically abbreviated forms, such as the proposed five-item version, fail to maintain adequate psychometric properties.