A Mindful Body Awareness Questionnaire for Youth: Development of a short body awareness questionnaire tailored to a population of adolescents and young adults
(2021) Mind & Life European Summer Research Institute — Location: Online (16.August.2021)
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- Abstract
- Objective: Body awareness (BA) can be broadly defined as attending to and being aware of internal body sensations (Mehling et al., 2009). BA is a multi-faceted construct which has been associated with both adaptive and maladaptive health outcomes depending on one’s attentional style (i.e., anxiety-driven versus mindful; Mehling, 2016). Despite the crucial role BA plays in mental health, psychological interventions, and the prevention of mental health disorders, to our knowledge, there are no questionnaires measuring BA in a multi-faceted way created specifically for adolescents and young adults. Hence, the objective of this research was to develop a short BA self-report measure tailored to a population of young people between the ages of 14 and 24. Methods: To achieve our aim, we followed these steps: (1) conducted focus groups with adolescents, young adults, and psychologists working with this age group, to gain insights into the dimensionality of the construct in this particular population, (2) created a first draft of the questionnaire and pilot tested it to assess item comprehension (N = 30), and (3) conducted an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) study (N = 454) on a second draft of the questionnaire leading to a final draft of the questionnaire which is currently under validation. Results: As a result of these steps, we obtained a 22-item questionnaire called the Mindful Body Awareness Questionnaire (MBAQ) which consists of three dimensions: equanimity (i.e., relating to body sensations in a non-judgmental, open, and non-reactive way), listening (i.e., approaching body sensations and considering them important sources of information), and non-avoidance (i.e., facing unpleasant body sensations). Discussion: The MBAQ may be a useful measure for researchers who would like to study BA in youth. After its validation (which is currently underway), its use may open up new avenues of research in this population.
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Citations
Perez Pena, M., Katleen Van der Gucht, & Philippot, P. (2021). A Mindful Body Awareness Questionnaire for Youth: Development of a short body awareness questionnaire tailored to a population of adolescents and young adults. Mind & Life European Summer Research Institute, Online. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/109811