Abstract
Factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the Dutch version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) were studied in two samples of school children and adolescents (n = 275, 10–12 years and n = 560, 13–16 years) from The Netherlands, using principle factor analysis. In both samples, a single component showed a good fit. However, evidence was also found for a solution with two components in both samples. That is, for children as well as adolescents, a main component referring to “present-moment non-judgmental awareness” arose, but for children a second component of “suppressing or avoiding thoughts and feelings” arose whereas for adolescents “distractibility or difficulty paying attention” became apparent as a second component. The ten-item CAMM showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.71 for children, and α = 0.80 for adolescents). As hypothesized, we found significant, moderate to strong positive correlations for the child and adolescent samples between the CAMM and measures of happiness, healthy self-regulation, and quality of life. We further found significant, moderate to strong negative correlations with stress, rumination, self-blame, and catastrophizing. Only the expected positive correlation with acceptance was not found. There was no difference between children with or without meditation experience on the CAMM; however, adolescents with meditation experience showed a significantly lower score on the CAMM than those without this experience. Overall, good psychometric properties were demonstrated and were comparable with the original CAMM. Mindful awareness and being non-judgmental appears a measurable concept in children and adolescents and can be considered an important protective construct in the mental health of not only adults, but also of children and adolescents.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 125–143.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., & Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Assessment, 11, 191–206.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45.
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. C., Carmody, J., et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230–241.
Brown, K. W., West, A. M., Loverich, T. M., & Biegel, G. M. (2011). Assessing adolescent mindfulness: Validation of an adapted Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale in adolescent normative and psychiatric populations. Psychological Assessment, 23, 1023–1033.
Burke, C. A. (2009). Mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents: A preliminary review of current research in an emerging field. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 133–144.
De Bruin, E. I., Zijlstra, B., van-de Weijer-Bergsma, E., & Bögels, S. M. (2011). The Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale for Adolescents (MAAS-A). Psychometric properties in a Dutch sample. Mindfulness, 2, 201–211.
De Bruin, E. I., Zijlstra, B., Geurtzen, N., van Zundert, R. M. P., van de Weijer-Bergsma, E., Hartman, E. E., et al. (2012). Mindful parenting assessed further: Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P). Mindfulness (in press).
Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., & Spinhoven, P. (2001). Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 1311–1327.
Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., & Spinhoven, P. (2002). Manual for the use of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Leiderdorp, The Netherlands: DATEC.
Greco, L., & Hayes, S. C. (2008). Acceptance and mindfulness treatments for children and adolescents: A practitioners guide. New Harbinger: Oakland, CA.
Greco, L. A., Baer, R. A., & Smith, G. T. (2011). Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment, 23, 606–614.
Grossman, P. (2011). Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology’s (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment, 23, 1034–1040.
Hanson, R., & Mendius, R. (2009). Buddha’s brain. The practical neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.
Harnett, P. H., & Dawe, S. (2012). Review: the contribution of mindfulness-based therapies for children and families and proposed conceptual integration. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2011.00643.
Hartong, I. M., Krol, M., Maaskant, A., Te Plate, A., & Schuszler, D. (2003). Stress Vragenlijst voor Kinderen (SVK). Internal report, University of Amsterdam.
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 169–183.
Horn, J. L. (1965). A rationale and test for the number of factors in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 30, 179–185.
Jermann, F., Van der Linden, M., d’Acremont, M., & Zermatten, A. (2006). Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the French translation. European Journal ofPsychological Assessment, 22, 126–131.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4, 33–47.
Kabat-Zinn, J., Massion, A. O., Kristeller, J., Peterson, L. G., Fletcher, K. E., Pbert, L., et al. (1992). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 936–943.
Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1041–1056.
Kuhn, D. (2006). Do cognitive changes accompany developments in the adolescent brain? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 59–67.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46, 137–155.
MacKillop, J., & Anderson, E. J. (2007). Further psychometric validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 29, 289–293.
Marcus, M. T., Fine, P. M., Moeller, F. G., Khan, M. M., Pitts, K., Swank, P. R., et al. (2003). Change in stress levels following mindfulness-based stress reduction in a therapeutic community. Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment, 2, 63–68.
Marks, A. D. G., Sobanski, D. J., & Hine, D. W. (2010). Do dispositional rumination and/or mindfulness moderate the relationship between life hassles and psychological dysfunction in adolescents? The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 831–838.
Meijer, A. M., van Oostveen, S. J. E., & Stams, G. J. J. M. (2008). Zorgen voor een zieke ouder: De relatie tussen mantelzorg, ziekte van de ouder en gedragsproblemen bij kinderen. Kind en Adolescent, 29, 208–220.
O’Connor, B. P. (2000). SPSS and SAS programs for determining the number of components using parallel analysis and Velicer’s MAP test. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 32, 396–402.
Segal, Z., Williams, J., & Teasdale, J. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: The Guilford Press.
Semple, R. J., Reid, E. F., & Miller, L. (2005). Treating anxiety with mindfulness: An open trial of mindfulness training for anxious children. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 19, 379–392.
Semple, R. J., Lee, J., Rosa, D., & Miller, L. (2010). A randomized trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children: Promoting mindful attention to enhance social-emotional resiliency in children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 218–229.
Spear, L. P. (2000). The adolescent brain and age-related behavioural manifestations. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 24, 417–463.
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., Ridgeway, V. A., Soulsby, J. M., & Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615–623.
Tkach, C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). How do people pursue happiness?: Relating personality, happiness-increasing strategies, and well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 183–225.
Van de Weijer-Bergsma, E., Formsma, A., de Bruin, E. I., & Bogels, S. M. (2011). The effectiveness of mindfulness training on behavioral problems and attentional functioning in adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 20, 171–181.
Van der Oord, S., Bögels, S. M., & Peijnenburg, D. (2012). The effectiveness of mindfulness training for children with ADHD and mindful parenting for their parents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 139–147.
Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Rode, C. A. (1999). The PedsQL™: Measurement model for the pediatric quality of life inventory. Medical Care, 37, 126–139.
Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Kurtin, P. S. (2001). PedsQL(tm) 4.0: reliability and validity of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory(tm) Version 4.0 Generic Core Scales in healthy and patient populations. Medical Care, 39, 800–812.
Velicer, W. F. (1976). Determining the number of components from the matrix of partial correlations. Psychometrika, 41, 321–327.
West, A. M. (2008). Mindfulness and the well-being in adolescence: an exploration of four mindfulness measures with an adolescent sample. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Central Michigan University. West, A. M., & Kram, G. (2008). Mindfulness program evaluation in an adjudicated juvenile sample. Unpublished manuscript, Central Michigan University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
de Bruin, E.I., Zijlstra, B.J.H. & Bögels, S.M. The Meaning of Mindfulness in Children and Adolescents: Further Validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) in Two Independent Samples from The Netherlands. Mindfulness 5, 422–430 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0196-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0196-8