Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

Mindfulness has become an increasingly popular concept in recent years, as people strive to find ways to reduce stress, increase focus, and improve their overall wellbeing. One of the most widely used tools for measuring mindfulness is the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), developed by J. Brown and R. Ryan in 2003. In this blog post, we will explore the MAAS and its different scales to help you better understand how it can be used to measure mindfulness.

The MAAS is a 15-item scale designed to measure the extent to which individuals are able to maintain a non-judgmental and present-focused attention to their thoughts and sensations in daily life. The scale consists of statements that are rated on a six-point scale ranging from 1 (almost always) to 6 (almost never). Respondents are asked to indicate how frequently they have experienced each statement over the past week.

The MAAS is divided into three subscales, which can be used to measure different aspects of mindfulness. The first subscale is the Attention subscale, which measures the extent to which individuals are able to maintain their focus on the present moment. The second subscale is the Awareness subscale, which measures the extent to which individuals are able to notice their thoughts and sensations without judging them. The third subscale is the Acceptance subscale, which measures the extent to which individuals are able to accept their thoughts and feelings without trying to change them.

Each subscale of the MAAS consists of five items. Here are the items included in each subscale:

Attention Subscale:

1. I find myself doing things without paying attention.
2. I drive places on “automatic pilot” and then wonder why I went there.
3. I find myself easily distracted during tasks.
4. I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention.
5. I rush through activities without being really attentive to them.

Awareness Subscale:

1. I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later.
2. I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else.
3. I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present.
4. I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.
5. I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.

Acceptance Subscale:

1. I tell myself that I shouldn’t be feeling the way that I’m feeling.
2. When I fail at something important to me I become consumed by feelings of inadequacy.
3. When I’m feeling down I tend to obsess and fixate on everything

Awareness Subscale:

1. I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later.
2. I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else.
3. I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present.
4. I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.
5. I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.

Acceptance Subscale:

1. I tell myself that I shouldn’t be feeling the way that I’m feeling.
2. When I fail at something important to me I become consumed by feelings of inadequacy.
3. When I’m feeling down I tend to obsess and fixate on everything