FFMQ-15: 15-item Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
Instructions
Please use the 1 (never or very rarely true) to 5 (very often or always true) scale provided to indicate how true the
below statements are of you. Circle the number in the box to the right of each statement which represents your
own opinion of what is generally true for you. For example, if you think that a statement is often true of you,
circle ‘4’ and if you think a statement is sometimes true of you, circle ‘3’.
Never Rarely Some Often Very
or very true -times true often
rarely true or
true always
true
1. When I take a shower or a bath, I stay alert to the
sensations of water on my body. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I’m good at finding words to describe my feelings.
1 2 3 4 5
3. I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing because I’m
daydreaming, worrying, or otherwise distracted. 1 2 3 4 5
4. I believe some of my thoughts are abnormal or bad and
I shouldn’t think that way. 1 2 3 4 5
5. When I have distressing thoughts or images, I “step
back” and am aware of the thought or image without 1 2 3 4 5
getting taken over by it.
6. I notice how foods and drinks affect my thoughts,
bodily sensations, and emotions. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I have trouble thinking of the right words to express
how I feel about things. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I do jobs or tasks automatically without being aware of
what I’m doing. 1 2 3 4 5
9. I think some of my emotions are bad or inappropriate
and I shouldn’t feel them. 1 2 3 4 5
10. When I have distressing thoughts or images I am able
just to notice them without reacting. 1 2 3 4 5
11. I pay attention to sensations, such as the wind in my hair
or sun on my face. 1 2 3 4 5
12. Even when I’m feeling terribly upset I can find a way to
put it into words. 1 2 3 4 5
13. I find myself doing things without paying attention.
1 2 3 4 5
14. I tell myself I shouldn’t be feeling the way I’m feeling.
1 2 3 4 5
15. When I have distressing thoughts or images I just notice
them and let them go. 1 2 3 4 5
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Lykins, E., Button, D., Krietemeyer, J., Sauer, S., Walsh, E., Duggan, D. & Williams, J. M. G.
(2008). Construct validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples.
Assessment, 15, 329–342. doi: 10.1177/1073191107313003
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Karl, A., Cavanagh, K., & Kuyken, W. (2016). Examining the factor
structure of the 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire before and after Mindfulness-
Based Cognitive Therapy for people with recurrent depression. Psychological Assessment. doi: 10.1037/pas0000263
Background
This measure is a short form of the 39-item FFMQ (Baer et al., 2006). It includes the same five facets as the
long form: Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, Non-Judging of inner experience, and Non-
Reactivity to inner experience. The 15-item FFMQ (FFMQ-15) was developed by Baer et al. (2008) and
includes three items for each facet. Items were selected from the FFMQ-39 based on their loadings on each
facet and to maintain the breadth of content for each facet. The factor structure and psychometric properties of
the FFMQ-15 were tested by Gu et al. (2016). They found that the factor structure of the FFMQ-15 was
consistent with that of the FFMQ-39 and there were large correlations between total facet scores of the short
and long forms. This indicates that both versions of the FFMQ measured highly similar constructs. They also
found that the two FFMQ versions did not differ significantly from each other in terms of convergent validity.
Additionally, internal consistency was adequate for the FFMQ-15 and the measure was found to be sensitive
to change over the course of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (small/moderate to moderate/large and
significant increases in total facet scores). Taken together, Gu et al.’s findings support the use of the FFMQ-
15 as an alternative measure in research where briefer forms are needed.
In addition to the above findings, Gu et al. (2016) found that the factor structures of the FFMQ-39 and FFMQ-
15 were not stable before and after MBCT; for both versions, before MBCT a four-factor structure without the
observing subscale best fit the data but after MBCT a five-factor structure provided the best fit. This suggests
that comparisons in FFMQ scores before and after mindfulness interventions may not be valid. They
recommend that researchers consider excluding the observing facet score from comparisons of total
scale/subscale scores before and after mindfulness interventions.
Scoring Information
*Observing items: 1, 6, 11.
Describe items: 2, 7R, 12.
Acting with awareness items: 3R, 8R, 13R.
Non-judging items: 4R, 9R, 14R.
Non-reactivity items: 5, 10, 15.
Reverse-phrased items are denoted by ‘R’ after the item number, e.g. 14R.
*Refer to the background information regarding recommendations for omitting the observing subscale score
from comparisons of total scale/subscale scores before and after mindfulness interventions.
References
The original FFMQ was developed by Baer et al. (2006) and the FFMQ-15 was developed by Baer et al.
(2008). The factor structure and psychometric properties of the FFMQ-15 were tested by Gu et al. (2016).
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(1), 27–45. doi: /10.1177/1073191105283504
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Lykins, E., Button, D., Krietemeyer, J., Sauer, S., Walsh, E., Duggan, D. &
Williams, J. M. G. (2008). Construct validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in meditating and
nonmeditating samples. Assessment, 15, 329–342. doi: 10.1177/1073191107313003
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Karl, A., Cavanagh, K., & Kuyken, W. (2016). Examining the
factor structure of the 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire before and
after Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for people with recurrent depression. Psychological Assessment.
doi: 10.1037/pas0000263
