Transcultural Mindfulness Assessment: A Mixed Methods Analysis

描述（由申请人提供）：初步证据证明了基于正念的干预在减少与各种医学和心理状况相关的症状方面的有效性。然而，正念如何运作、评估和实践的差异阻碍了研究进展。现有的当代正念评估完全是由西方科学家开发的，其有效性值得怀疑，尤其是在不同的文化群体中。正念的操作定义对于制定有效措施至关重要，而有效措施对于研究基于正念的干预措施的变化机制是必要的。因此，本研究的总体目标是根据正念专家——小乘佛教、藏传佛教和禅宗佛教的神职人员和居士的经验，创建一个正念测量。为此，本研究将采用顺序探索性混合方法的初步阶段进行仪器设计模型。第一阶段将包括对小乘佛教、藏传佛教和禅宗佛教的神职人员和普通修行者进行开放式访谈，以确定正念和密切相关的佛教概念的专家信息。这个定性过程允许专家定义感兴趣的现象（即，解决有效性问题）。在第二阶段，我们将使用在定性访谈中引起的主题和特定短语来开发一个封闭的正念自我报告草案的项目。在完成本提案中概述的研究后，我们将提交后续提案，以彻底评估我们的正念问卷草案在各种不同文化和背景下的心理测量特性。通过帮助阐明美国以及泰国等其他文化中以正念为基础的心理疗法的变化机制，这一措施在临床研究中是有益的。在泰国，正念和其他佛教实践已经被纳入主流心理健康治疗。因此，我们的目标是创造一种可以帮助改善正念评估和临床应用的方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Preliminary evidence attests to the effectiveness of mindfulnessbased interventions in reducing symptoms associated with a variety of medical and psychological conditions. However, research progress has been hampered by discrepancies in how mindfulness has been operationalized, assessed, and practiced. Existing contemporary assessments of mindfulness were developed exclusively by Western scientists and have exhibited questionable validity, particularly among diverse cultural groups. Operational definitions of mindfulness are essential for the development of valid measures, which in turn are necessary for investigating the mechanisms of change in mindfulnessbased interventions. Therefore, the overall goal of this study is to create a mindfulness measure that is informed by the experience of mindfulness experts - Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist clergy and lay practitioners. To do so, this study will employ the preliminary phases of the sequential exploratory mixed methods for instrument design model. The first phase will involve conducting openended interviews with Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist clergy and lay practitioners to ascertain expert information on mindfulness and closely related Buddhist concepts. This qualitative process allows the experts to define the phenomena of interest (i.e., addresses issues of validity). In the second phase, we will use the themes and specific phrases evoked during the qualitative interviews to develop items for a draft closed ended selfreport measure of mindfulness. Following completion of the research outlined in this proposal, we will submit a subsequent proposal to thoroughly evaluate the psychometric properties of our draft mindfulness questionnaire in a variety of different cultures and contexts. This measure can be beneficial in clinical research by helping to elucidate the mechanisms of change in mindfulnessbased psychotherapies in the United States and equally so in other cultures such as Thailand, where mindfulness and other Buddhist practices have already been integrated into mainstream mental health treatment. Therefore, our aim is to create a measure that can help improve the assessment and clinical use of mindfulness. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Psychological treatments that utilize Eastern-derived techniques such as mindfulness show a great deal of promise in alleviating symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, and related disorders. There is, however, a need to clarify exactly what mindfulness is and how it can best be assessed and integrated into treatment. By relying on the expertise of Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist clergy and lay practitioners, the results of this study will enhance the assessment and practice of mindfulness, and therefore help to increase the effectiveness of mindfulness-based psychotherapies.