Validation of a body awareness questionnaire in a young adult population: The Mindful Body Awareness Questionnaire

Details

Supervisors

Philippot, Pierre ; Perez Pena, Marbella

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences psychologiques, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Body awareness (BA) is a complex multidimensional construct that has been widely discussed throughout the literature. There is however a lack of consensus on its definition, dimensionality, and evaluation tools. While Mehling and colleagues (2012) validated a reliable self-report measure, the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), assessing BA in adults around the globe, it has not been validated in the young adult population, and its adaption to adolescents includes various limitations. The existing literature indicates that young adulthood is a developmental phase distinct from adolescence and adulthood (Arnett, 2000; 2014; 2016), characterised by instability and various fluctuations in mechanisms (i.e., emotion regulation and cognitive control) important for successful interactions with the environment (Casey et al., 2019; Steinberg 2008; 2010). BA may be an important component to train, through mind-body practices or interventions, as it may lead to various positive outcomes, such as enhanced emotion regulation. In line with these arguments, the aim of this thesis is to validate a newly developed questionnaire, the Mindful Body Awareness Questionnaire, assessing adaptive BA, in a young adult population. The results indicate that BA may be associated with various positive outcomes, such as heightened mindfulness and greater regulation strategies. However, the various shortcomings and the poor outcomes observed for the MBAQ validation, limits the results and their interpretation. As a result, various recommendations are suggested for future research and to shed light on this complex construct that is BA.