Psychometric Properties of a German Version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) in a Community Sample

Objectives Based on the current literature, mindfulness seems to have positive effects on mental and physical health not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. Research should further investigate these findings and needs properly validated measures. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to validate a German version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Methods A sample of 248 children and adolescents (10-19 years, M = 14.85, SD = 2.55, 58.87% females) filled in the CAMM, measures of self-compassion, internalizing (depression and anxiety) and externalizing (destructiveness and boundary violations) symptoms, and quality of life. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the original factor structure. Also, internal consistency, convergent validity, and possible gender and age group differences were examined. Results Results did not support the original one-factor structure of the CAMM with ten items but indicated a one-factor structure with seven items for the German version of the CAMM. Internal consistency was good with Cronbach's alpha = .83 and McDonald's omega = .85. Convergent validity of the seven-item scale was indicated by moderate correlations in expected directions with self-compassion, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and quality of life. Conclusions The German seven-item version of the CAMM seems to be a promising tool to measure mindfulness in German-speaking children and adolescents.