A replication study of the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) latent structure
The Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is a popular tool in mindfulness research. However, some controversies are being upheld regarding its psychometric qualities and its replicability This study introduces novel evidence regarding two main issues: Firstly, questionable psychometric practices in validation studies confirmed previous concerns about the FFMQ’s properties. Secondly, a replication study using frequentist and bayesian techniques tested the structure of the FFMQ. The original structure did not provide a good fit with both techniques, while a proposed alternative provided mixed results. Systematic fit improvements were found in both techniques regarding the exclusion of the Observe facet and the inclusion of method factors. Therefore, a failed replication of the structure of the FFMQ was concluded. Alternatively, a new provisional FFMQ model was proposed. Future research proposals on improving techniques and models towards mindfulness assessment are presented and discussed.