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措施在减少与各种医疗和心理状况相关的症状方面的有效性。然而，研究进展受到了正念如何操作，评估和实践的差异的阻碍。现有的当代正念评估完全是由西方科学家开发的，并且表现出可疑的有效性，特别是在不同的文化群体中。正念的操作定义对于有效措施的制定至关重要，而有效措施又是调查基于正念干预的变化机制所必需的。因此，本研究的总体目标是创建一个正念测量，该测量是由正念专家的经验-上座部，西藏和禅宗佛教神职人员和外行从业者。为此，本研究将采用序贯探索性混合方法的初步阶段进行工具设计模型。第一阶段将涉及对小乘佛教、藏传佛教和禅宗佛教的神职人员和外行从业者进行开放式访谈，以确定有关正念和密切相关的佛教概念的专家信息。这种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唤起的主题和特定短语来开发封闭式自我报告草案的项目。在完成本提案中概述的研究之后，我们将提交一份后续提案，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。这一措施有助于阐明美国正念心理疗法的变化机制，在其他文化中也是如此，例如泰国，正念和其他佛教实践已经被纳入主流心理健康治疗。因此，我们的目标是创建一个可以帮助改善正念的评估和临床使用的措施。 公共卫生相关性：利用东方技术的心理治疗，如正念，在缓解与抑郁症，焦虑和相关疾病相关的症状方面表现出很大的希望。然而，有必要明确什么是正念，以及如何最好地评估和融入治疗。通过依靠小乘佛教、西藏佛教和禅宗佛教神职人员和外行从业者的专业知识，这项研究的结果将加强对正念的评估和实践，从而有助于提高基于正念的心理治疗的有效性。

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.