Can Mindfulness and Self-monitoring Improve Control Over Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Change in the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) compared to baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The MDS-16 is the primary self-report scale that gauges maladaptive daydreaming on a 10-point Likert scale. Scores range from 0 to 100, with the mean score of 40 set as an evidence-based cut-off score for clinical-level MD. Higher scores indicate an elevated level of maladaptive daydreaming, hence, a worse outcome.

Change in the Daydreaming Frequency Scale (DDFS) compared to baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The DDFS is a 12-item subscale of the Imaginal Processes Inventory, gauging reported daydreaming frequency. Items are marked on a 5-point Likert scale. Scores range from 12 to 60. Higher scores indicate an elevated frequency of daydreaming, hence, a worse outcome.

Change in the Daydreaming Work and Social Adjustment Scale (DWSAS) compared to baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The DWSAS is a 6-item measure assessing adjustment and disfunction in relation to daydreaming. Items are ranked on a 9-point Likert scale ranging from 0 to 8. The DWSAS scores range from 0 to 48. A score of 12 or lower indicates "no pathology and disfunction". Scores between 12 and 24 indicate "pathology and impaired function", while scores of 24 or above suggest "severe pathology and impaired function".

Change in the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) compared to baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The BSI is a 53-item scale rated on a 5-point Likert scale of general psychopathology. The BSI is divided into nine subscales: somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and four additional items. The BSI total score ranges from 0 to 4. Higher scores suggest elevated psychopathology, hence, a worse outcome.

Change in the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ) from baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The OQ is a 45-item scale evaluating the quality of mental health care and its outcome featuring three sub-scales: subjective discomfort, interpersonal relations, and social role performance. The OQ scores range from 0 to 180. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome.

Change in the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) from baseline, measured 2 months and 6 months post-intervention. The MAAS assesses awareness and mindful attention and is a common measure in psychological studies of mindfulness training. It gauges the extent to which participants acquired the target mindfulness skill. This is a 15-item, 6-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 15 to 90. Higher scores suggest a higher level of acquired the target mindfulness skills, hence, a better outcome.

The Feedback Questionnaire (FBQ) measures the participants' satisfaction with the program and its contents. The FBQ was administered twice: as an immediate post-intervention assessment and, at a 6-month follow-up. The FBQ contains 21 items: 17 of which were ranked on a 5-point Likert scale, and 4 items were optional open questions. This outcome ranked from 1 to 5. Higher scores present more positive feedback to the treatment program, hence, a better outcome.

The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is a 28-item scale rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The CTQ has five subscales containing five items each: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. Each subscale is rated between 5 to 25. The total CTQ scale scores range from 25 to 125. Higher scores represent more childhood trauma, hence, a worse outcome.