Abstract
Objectives
Few studies have explored mindfulness and nonattachment in Arab populations. This study extends our understanding of mindfulness and nonattachment to Arab students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) based on the 20-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the 7-item Nonattachment Scale (NAS-7). This study investigated the model fit of each measure, in conjunction with examining the measurement invariance of both measures across Emirati and Australian samples. Next, this study investigated the mediating role of nonattachment.
Methods
University students from the UAE (N = 452) and Australia (N = 731) completed self-report measures of mindfulness, nonattachment, positive and negative affect, and depression, stress, and anxiety.
Results
For the FFMQ, a four-factor model—excluding the facet Observe but with the addition of covariance between two items from the facet Describe—provided adequate fit in both samples. The NAS-7 provided adequate fit in the Australian sample but not the UAE. While the FFMQ model was invariant across samples, the NAS-7 was non-invariant, thus preventing sample comparison. Overall, nonattachment partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and well-being with differences across samples.
Conclusions
Findings support the use of a four-factor model of the FFMQ in Emirati samples and attest to its robustness and suitability as a measure for cross-cultural comparisons. Findings also support a partial mediating role for nonattachment and attest to the intricacies of the Emirati culture.
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Data Availability
All data are available at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/4uj8f/).
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Acknowledgements
We express gratitude to all the students in the UAE and Australia involved in the study and especially to Ms Maryam Hamad AlHashmi and Ms Maryam Ali AlJanaahi for their valuable contributions.
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This study was funded by Zayed University’s Start-Up Grant (Activity Code R20026).
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MMM designed and executed the study, collected data, wrote the methods section, and wrote part of the literature review and the discussion sections. BE collected data, wrote part of the literature review and the discussion sections, analyzed the data, and wrote the results section. JT, MB, EWH, and RW assisted in the design of the study, collected data, and collaborated in the writing and editing of the final manuscript. GB assisted in the design and execution of the study, collected data, and collaborated in the writing and editing of the final manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.
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Full ethical clearance was received from the Research Ethics Committees of Zayed University (Application ZU19_135_F), United Arab Emirates University (Application ERS_2020_6181), and Swinburne University (SUHREC Project 2013/310). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Moussa, M.M., Elphinstone, B., Thomas, J. et al. Nonattachment as a Mediator of the Mindfulness-Well-being Relationship: Comparing Emirati and Australian Students. Mindfulness 13, 526–538 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01813-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01813-3