Focus Area: Mindfulness

Overview: The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) is a comprehensive measure of mindfulness skills, with a focus on identifying strengths and weaknesses in the development of different facets of mindfulness over the course of treatment.  

Total number of items: Thirty nine 

Standardized cadence: Variable

Estimated completion time: Three to five minutes

Supported subscales: Observing, describing, acting with awareness, accepting without judgement   

Age range: Variable 

Scoring and interpretation: High scores on the KIMS corresponds to greater mindfulness skills.  

Reliability/Validity: Alpha coefficients for the observing, describing, acting with awareness and accepting without judgment subscales were .91, .84, .76, and .87, respectively. Adequate to good test-retest reliability was found, ranging from 0.65 (observing) to 0.86 (acting with awareness). 

Additional information: The KIMS is an advanced assessment of mindfulness skills that is best used when the focus of treatment is on developing a comprehensive mindfulness practice. The KIMS is not recommended as a general mindfulness measure for the lay person.
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