In a groundbreaking study published in 2025, researchers have unveiled the meticulous cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the Mindfulness During Worship Scale (MWS), specifically tailored for medical students. This pioneering research sheds light on the intricate interplay between cultural, religious, and cognitive dimensions of mindfulness, particularly within the context of worship practices amongst Persian-speaking populations. It represents a significant leap forward in psychological assessment, broadening the applicability of mindfulness measurement tools in diverse cultural frameworks while maintaining scientific rigor.
Mindfulness, a psychological construct emphasizing present-moment awareness and acceptance, traditionally garners considerable attention in therapeutic and cognitive enhancement contexts. However, its contextual application during worship—an intimate, often deeply personal spiritual practice—remains understudied, especially outside Western paradigms. The original MWS, designed to quantify mindfulness within worship contexts, has now been systematically adapted into Persian, addressing a critical gap by validating the scale’s psychometric properties among Iranian medical students. This demographic is particularly relevant due to the rigorous cognitive demands placed on them alongside prevalent cultural-religious observances in Iran.
The research methodology involved an intricate process comprising translation, back-translation, expert panel reviews, and pilot testing to ensure semantic, idiomatic, and conceptual equivalence between the original and Persian versions of the MWS. This rigorous adaptation procedure guarantees that the scale remains faithful to its original intent while respecting cultural nuances embedded in Persian language and Islamic worship practices. Beyond syntactic fidelity, the study delved into construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, coupled with internal consistency assessments using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, ensuring robust psychometric standards.
Moreover, the study population—comprising a representative sample of Persian-speaking medical students—was meticulously selected to reflect variability in worship engagement and mindfulness levels, facilitating a nuanced understanding of scale reliability. The statistical rigor demonstrated by the authors evidenced excellent internal consistency and stable factorial structures, indicating the Persian MWS’s suitability for both academic research and clinical assessment within similar cultural milieus. It also elucidated subtle differences in mindfulness dimensions influenced by cultural and religious contexts, broadening theoretical perspectives.
Central to the research is its emphasis on contextualizing mindfulness during worship within Islamic traditions, wherein prayer (Salah) and supplication often evoke profound psychological experiences of presence and calmness. The validated Persian MWS incorporates these experiential dimensions, thereby enabling an authentic measurement framework that resonates with the lived experiences of worshippers. This culturally sensitive psychometric instrument paves the way for future studies investigating the therapeutic potentials of mindfulness in faith-based settings, especially among high-stress populations like medical students prone to burnout.
The research also addresses a critical methodological challenge: ensuring that psychological scales developed in Western settings accurately translate across linguistic and conceptual boundaries without losing sensitivity or accuracy. Through a multi-step validation process, including pilot testing and expert consultations in psychology, linguistics, and religious studies, the authors succeeded in maintaining the MWS’s original construct integrity while embedding culturally specific elements relevant to Persian-speaking Muslim communities.
By extending mindfulness research into the domain of worship, this study unlocks new avenues for understanding how spiritual practices interact with mental health and cognitive function. Given the rising interest in integrative well-being interventions, the Persian MWS offers an empirically grounded tool to explore how mindfulness manifests in ritual contexts, potentially moderating stress and enhancing emotional regulation. Furthermore, such culturally anchored scales can inform mental health practitioners aiming to incorporate patients’ spiritual dimensions into therapeutic frameworks, fostering holistic care.
The implications of validated cross-cultural tools like the Persian MWS extend beyond academia. In Iran and other Persian-speaking countries where religiosity interweaves closely with daily life, accurately measuring mindfulness during worship can inform community health initiatives, bolster preventive mental health strategies, and enhance educational programs within medical curricula. Medical students, frequently encountering psychological stressors, stand to benefit from such nuanced understandings that align mental health promotion with culturally meaningful practices.
This research also exemplifies the broader movement in psychological science towards inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, emphasizing that constructs like mindfulness cannot be universally applied without adaptation. By embracing cross-cultural variability, the study challenges the dominance of Western-centric paradigms and promotes equitable, contextually grounded assessment practices. It highlights the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration among psychologists, linguists, and religious scholars to refine and validate instruments that authentically capture human experience across diverse cultures.
Furthermore, the data espoused by this study underscore the complex dimensions of mindfulness when embedded in spiritual contexts. It encourages researchers to reconsider standard mindfulness interventions, possibly integrating spiritual and religious elements to enhance efficacy among faith-based populations. Such culturally congruent approaches may yield better engagement and outcomes, as they resonate with individuals’ core values and belief systems.
The validation of the Persian MWS also contributes to the expanding dialogue on the neuropsychological underpinnings of mindfulness. By correlating mindfulness during worship with cognitive control, emotional regulation, and attentional networks, future research bolstered by this tool can elucidate how spiritual mindfulness cultivates specific brain mechanisms. This insight could inform precision mental health strategies that leverage spiritual practices as adjunctive therapies.
Moreover, the study’s rigorous approach exemplifies best practices in psychometrics—emphasizing translation accuracy, factorial stability, and reliability—thereby setting a benchmark for similar cross-cultural endeavors in psychological measurement. The comprehensive validation enhances confidence in the scale’s use in both research and applied settings, facilitating longitudinal studies and interventional research that bridge culture, cognition, and spirituality.
Beyond the academic sphere, the socially relevant implications are profound. As medical education increasingly acknowledges mental health challenges, integrating culturally adapted mindfulness assessments into student wellness programs offers a proactive strategy. It may assist educators and counselors in identifying students who benefit from mindfulness training tailored to their religious and cultural context, potentially mitigating anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic burnout.
Ultimately, the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian Mindfulness During Worship Scale represent a milestone in global psychological research. By weaving scientific rigor with cultural sensitivity, the study not only enriches the understanding of mindfulness in worship but also pioneers methodological pathways for future research across languages and faith traditions. It marks a decisive step towards inclusive psychology that honors diversity while advancing scientific knowledge.
This research invites continued exploration into the multifaceted nature of mindfulness, urging scientists and clinicians to consider worship as a meaningful context for cultivating mindful awareness. With the Persian MWS now validated, a new frontier opens for empirical studies that delve into how spirituality, mindfulness, and mental health dynamically intersect within Islamic and broader Persianate cultures. Such endeavors promise to deepen both theoretical insights and practical interventions in mental health.
In conclusion, the adaptation of the Mindfulness During Worship Scale into Persian meticulously broadens the scope of mindfulness research, emphasizing the critical necessity of cultural contextualization in psychological assessment. The study’s findings hold transformative potential for medical education, mental health care, and spirituality research, showcasing how culturally attuned tools can bridge disparate worlds—scientific and spiritual—ultimately fostering holistic well-being in diverse populations.
Subject of Research: The cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Persian version of the Mindfulness During Worship Scale among medical students.
Article Title: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of mindfulness during worship scale (MWS) among medical students.
Article References:
Heidari, A., Saboohi, Z., Heidari, M. et al. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of mindfulness during worship scale (MWS) among medical students. BMC Psychol 13, 1319 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03666-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03666-0
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