Measuring child and adolescent mindfulness:
Arianna Ristallo, Marta Schweiger, Annalisa Oppo, Francesca Pergolizzi, Giovambattista Presti, Paolo Moderato
The aim of this study is to analyse the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Italian
version of the CAMM, a short questionnaire (10 items) that measures mindfulness skills in children and
adolescents. Twelve schools were involved in the study and 1336 participants, aged between 11 and
18, were enrolled in two studies. The I-CAMM shows a two-factor solution with a higher-order factor
named «Mindfulness Skills». The two factors detected are named «Awareness» and «Willingness»,
respectively. The two-factor solution is identified both with Exploratory Factor Analysis – performed on
657 participants recruited during study 1 – and through Confirmatory Factor Analysis – performed on
679 participants recruited during study 2 – showing good indices of goodness of fit. The psychometric
properties of the I-CAMM indicate good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0,79 for the factor
«Mindfulness Skills») and good convergent validity with the YSR Internalising Problems Scale (r = -0,515)
and with experiential avoidance and fusion measured with AFQ-Y (r = -0,703). The mean scores
of the I-CAMM are distributed differently between males and females; males reported significantly
higher scores of «Mindfulness Skills» than females. Considering its features and psychometric
properties, I-CAMM can be easily used both in research and in clinical practice.
Keywords
Mindfulness, Assessment, Adolescence, Child and Adolescent Mindfulness
Measure (CAMM), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
