Persian Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) in Iranian Substance Abusers: Validity and Reliability

Background: The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is widely used as an evaluation tool for mindfulness. Objectives: The present study aimed to validate the Persian version of the MAAS in Iranian substance abusers. Methods: This descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran during April 2017-December 2018 on 753 male Iranian substance abusers. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Persian version of the MAAS, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the General Self-efficacy Scale, the Aggression Scale, and the Quality of Mindfulness Scale. The study had two stages of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22, and a single-factor structure was employed to analyze the internal consistency of the MAAS in LISREL version 8.8. Results: The CFA results indicated that the single-factor model had a good fit to the data. In addition, negative correlations were observed between the MAAS, DASS-21, and aggression, while a positive correlation was denoted with self-efficacy (P < 0.01). Conclusions: According to the results, the Persian version of the MAAS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the mindfulness of Iranian substance abusers. Our findings shed light on a new direction for future focus and exploration in this regard.