Belief in the Powers of Mindfulness Scale (BPMS)

The Belief in the Powers of Mindfulness Scale (BPMS) was designed to assess individuals’ beliefs regarding the transformative potential of mindfulness. The BPMS was developed based on themes from in-depth interviews with 32 mindfulness practitioners and tested using a questionnaire completed by 458 US- and UK-based participants. The scale was developed to thematically encompass beliefs in the impact of mindfulness on (1) interpersonal relationships and compassion, (2) peace and violence, (3) the inner world, and (4) the desire for self-transformation. Cultural influences, such as expressive individualism and New Age ideals, were also reflected in these themes. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to validate the scale, which demonstrated strong inter-item consistency, reliability, and convergent validity, with a single factor structure reflecting belief in the powers of mindfulness meditation. A shortened version of the BPMS with items applicable to meditation generally was tested with a sample of 118 UK-based individuals who practiced a variety of meditation styles, and it was found that the scale’s reliability was very good. This suggests that the scale may also be used for belief in other meditation styles beyond mindfulness.