The toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation
Mark A. Lau, Scott R. Bishop, Zindel V. Segal, Tom Buis, Nicole D. Anderson, Linda Carlson, Shauna Shapiro, James Carmody, Susan Abbey, Gerald Devins
Journal of Clinical Psychology January 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20326 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA new self-report questionnaire, the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS), measures the state of mindfulness. In two studies, the scale showed good internal consistency and two factors: Curiosity and Decentering. TMS scores increased with more mindfulness meditation experience. In a second study, participants in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program showed increased TMS scores after treatment, and Decentering scores predicted improvements in clinical outcomes. The TMS is a promising measure with good psychometric properties and predictive validity for treatment outcome.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Validation study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Individuals with and without meditation experience; individuals participating in 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction programs |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction program |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Citations | 1,462 |
| Key finding | The Toronto Mindfulness Scale has good psychometric properties, with two factors (Curiosity and Decentering), and its scores increase with meditation experience and predict treatment outcome. |
Abstract
In this study, the authors both developed and validated a self-report mindfulness measure, the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS). In Study 1, participants were individuals with and without meditation experience. Results showed good internal consistency and two factors, Curiosity and Decentering. Most of the expected relationships with other constructs were as expected. The TMS scores increased with increasing mindfulness meditation experience. In Study 2, criterion and incremental validity of the TMS were investigated on a group of individuals participating in 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction programs. Results showed that TMS scores increased following treatment, and Decentering scores predicted improvements in clinical outcome. Thus, the TMS is a promising measure of the mindfulness state with good psychometric properties and predictive of treatment outcome.