Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Translation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

The present study examined the reliability and validity of a Chinese translation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Three questionnaires, the MAAS, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and the brief version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), were completed by 263 Chinese undergraduates (207 males, 56 females). Seventy of these students were assessed again with the MAAS after 20 days to evaluate the scale's test– retest reliability. Results from confirmatory factory analysis indicated that a one-factor solution fit the MAAS data satisfactorily. Reliability coefficients, including Cronbach's alpha, Guttman split-half, item–total correlations, and test– retest, were also satisfactory. Addressing validity, the MAAS was negatively correlated with PANAS negative affect and positively associated with PANAS positive affect as well as with the quality of life indexed by the WHOQOL-BREF. The Chinese version of the MAAS appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess levels of mindfulness in a Chinese college population.