Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality

Abstract

The Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) is a comprehensive, yet concise, psychological scale designed to assess various facets of Religiousness/Spirituality (R/S) for use primarily in health and behavioral research. Developed collaboratively by the Fetzer Institute and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Working Group, the scale integrates multiple dimensions of belief, practice, experience, and social support. Its primary goal is to provide a standardized tool that captures the complexity of R/S without being overly burdensome, making it suitable for large-scale epidemiological studies.

Keywords

Religiousness, Spirituality, BMMRS, Daily Spiritual Experiences, Private Religious Practices, Religious Coping, Organizational Religiousness, Forgiveness, Health research, Psychological measurement.

Authors

Fetzer Institute & National Institute on Aging Working Group, Lynn G. Underwood (responsible for the Daily Spiritual Experiences subscale).

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Purpose

The core purpose of the BMMRS is to facilitate rigorous scientific inquiry into the relationship between religious and spiritual factors and health outcomes. Prior to its development, researchers often relied on single-item measures (like frequency of church attendance), which failed to capture the nuanced, multidimensional nature of R/S. The BMMRS addresses this gap by providing measures across 12 distinct domains of religious and spiritual life.

The instrument was specifically designed to be brief enough for inclusion in large surveys and clinical trials where participant burden must be minimized, while still maintaining high validity and reliability across diverse populations. It provides researchers with standardized metrics to explore how elements like private practice, spiritual experience, and community support influence well-being and coping mechanisms.

Construct

The BMMRS measures the overarching psychological construct of Religiousness/Spirituality (R/S) by breaking it down into specific, empirically identifiable dimensions. This multidimensional approach recognizes that R/S encompasses not only formal religious behavior but also internal experiences, values, and social integration. The scale distinguishes between intrinsic (internal beliefs/experiences) and extrinsic (organizational/behavioral) aspects of faith.

Key dimensions measured include: Daily Spiritual Experiences (e.g., feeling God’s presence), Organizational Religiousness (e.g., attending services), Private Religious Practices (e.g., prayer, meditation), Religious Coping (both positive and negative forms), Commitment, and Religious Support. This comprehensive structure ensures that researchers capture a holistic view of how an individual interacts with their faith or spiritual framework.

Validity

While the original source content does not provide detailed psychometric statistics, the BMMRS was developed through an extensive consensus process involving leading experts in religion, spirituality, and public health, ensuring strong content validity. The dimensions included were selected based on their theoretical relevance and empirical evidence linking them to health outcomes.

Subsequent validation studies published in academic literature have supported the BMMRS’s structure, confirming its construct validity across various cohorts, demonstrating that the individual subscales reliably measure distinct factors of R/S. The scale is widely accepted in epidemiological and health psychology research due to its rigorous development process by the Fetzer Institute/NIA Working Group.

Reliability

The BMMRS subscales generally exhibit strong internal consistency (alpha reliability), particularly for subscales composed of multiple items such as Daily Spiritual Experiences and Private Religious Practices. The scale was designed for use in large, diverse samples, and its reliability metrics have been consistently demonstrated across different demographic groups in published research, suggesting stability and dependability in measurement.

Factor Analysis

The development of the BMMRS was guided by empirical factor analysis of the initial pool of R/S items collected by the Working Group. The resulting structure reflects a multi-factor model rather than a single global score. The 12 domains represent distinct, though often correlated, factors of religious and spiritual life. For instance, factor analysis confirms the clear separation between active behaviors (Private Practices), emotional experiences (Daily Spiritual Experiences), and cognitive strategies (Religious and Spiritual Coping).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Multidimensional Psychometric Scale

Format: 38 items (plus demographic follow-up questions) utilizing various response formats including Likert-type scales (e.g., 4-point agreement scales, 6-point frequency scales) and open-ended numerical responses.

Language Available: Primarily English (Original development). Translations exist for use in international health research.

Population Group: General population, often utilized in large-scale epidemiological studies focused on health and aging.

Age Group: Adults (typically middle-aged and older adults, given the NIA involvement, but applicable to all adult populations).

Population Details: The scale is designed to be inclusive of various religious and spiritual traditions, focusing on the functional aspects of faith rather than specific theological adherence.

Test Methodology: Pencil-and-paper or electronic administration. Scoring typically involves summing or averaging item responses within each of the 12 distinct subscales, yielding a profile of R/S dimensions rather than a single total score.

Keywords

Religious support, Spiritual experience, NIA, Fetzer Institute, Psychometrics, Measurement, Coping strategies, Multidimensionality.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Developed by a large working group, not an individual author)

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact the Fetzer Institute or the National Institute on Aging for official correspondence.

Correspondence Address: Refer to the official publication by the Fetzer Institute/NIA Working Group.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The BMMRS was initially published in 1999 and revised in 2003. It is generally considered a publicly available instrument developed through government and non-profit collaboration for research purposes. Researchers should consult the Fetzer Institute documentation for specific usage guidelines and citation requirements. No explicit fee is typically associated with its academic use.

Reference’s

Fetzer Institute & National Institute on Aging Working Group. (1999, 2003). Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS).

Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research: A Report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. The instrument is available online at: http://fetzer.org/resources/multidimensional-measurement-religiousnessspirituality-use-health-research

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Items of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/ Spirituality

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS)

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Lynn G. Underwood

You may experience the following in your daily life. If so‚ how often?

1. I feel God’s presence.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while
6. Never or almost never

2. I find strength and comfort in my religion.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while
6. Never or almost never

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3. I feel deep inner peace or harmony.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while
6. Never or almost never

4. I desire to be closer to or in un‎ion with God.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while

5. I feel God’s love for me‚ directly or through others.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while
6. Never or almost never

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6. I am spiritually touched by the beauty of creation.

1. Many times a day
2. Every day
3. Most days
4. Some days
5. Once in a while
6. Never or almost never

VALUES-LONG FORM

7. I believe in a God who watches over me.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Strongly disagree

8. I feel a deep sense of responsibility for reducing pain and suffering in the world.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Strongly disagree

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Forgiveness

Because of my religious or spiritual beliefs:

9. I have forgiven myself for things that I have done wrong.

1. Always or almost always
2. Often
3. Seldom
4. Never

10. I have forgiven those who hurt me.

1. Always or almost always
2. Often
3. Seldom
4. Never

11. I know that God forgives me.

1. Always or almost always
2. Often
3. Seldom
4. Never

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Private Religious Practices

12. How often do you pray privately in places other than at church or synagogue?

1. More than once a day
2. Once a day
3. A few times a week
4. Once a week
5. A few times a month
6. Once a month
7. Less than once a month
8. Never

13. Within your religious or spiritual tradition‚ how often do you meditate?

1. More than once a day
2. Once a day
3. A few times a week
4. Once a week
5. A few times a month
6. Once a month
7. Less than once a month
8. Never

14. How often do you watch or listen to religious programs on TV or radio?

1. More than once a day
2. Once a day
3. A few times a week
4. Once a week
5. A few times a month
6. Once a month
7. Less than once a month
8. Never

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15. How often do you read the Bible or other religious literature?

1. More than once a day
2. Once a day
3. A few times a week
4. Once a week
5. A few times a month
6. Once a month
7. Less than once a month
8. Never

16. How often are prayers or grace said before or after meals in your home?

1. At all meals
2. Once a day
3. At least once a week
4. Only on special occasions
5. Never

Religious and Spiritual Coping

Think about how you try to understand and deal with major problems in your life. To what extent is each of the following involved in the way you cope?

17. I think about how my life is part of a larger spiritual force.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

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18. I work together with God as partners.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

19. I look to God for strength‚ support‚ and guidance.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

20. I feel God is punishing me for my sins or lack of spirituality.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

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21. I wonder whether God has abandoned me.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

22. I try to make sense of the situation and decide what to do without relying on God.

1. A great deal
2. Quite a bit
3. Somewhat
4. Not at all

23. To what extent is your religion involved in understanding or dealing with stressful situations in any way?

1. Very involved
2. Somewhat involved
3. Not very involved
4. Not involved at all

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Religious Support

These questions are designed to find out how much help the people in your congregation would provide if you need it in the future.

24. If you were ill‚ how much would the people in your congregation help you out?

1. A great deal
2. Some
3. A little
4. None

25. If you had a problem or were faced with a difficult situation‚ how much comfort would the people in your congregation be willing to give you?

1. A great deal
2. Some
3. A little
4. None

Sometimes the contact we have with others is not always pleasant.

26. How often do the people in your congregation make too many demands on you?

1. Very often
2. Fairly often
3. Once in a while
4. Never

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27. How often are the people in your congregation critical of you and the things you do?

1. Very often
2. Fairly often
3. Once in a while
4. Never

Religious/Spiritual History

28. Did you ever have a religious or spiritual experience that changed your life?

No

Yes

IF YES: How old were you when this experience occurred?

29. Have you ever had a significant gain in your faith?

No

Yes

IF YES: How old were you when this occurred?

30. Have you ever had a significant loss in your faith?

No

Yes

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IF YES: How old were you when this occurred?

Commitment

31. I try hard to carry my religious beliefs over into all my other dealings in life.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Strongly disagree

32. During the last year about how much was the average monthly contribution of your household to your congregation or to religious causes?

$________________ OR $________________

Contribution per year Contribution per month

33. In an average week‚ how many hours do you spend in activities on behalf of your church or activities that you do for religious or spiritual reasons?

_______________________

Organizational Religiousness

34. How often do you go to religious services?

1. More than once a week
2. Every week or more often
3. Once or twice a month
4. Every month or so
5. Once or twice a year
6. Never

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35. Besides religious services‚ how often do you take part in other activities at a place of worship?

1. More than once a week
2. Every week or more often
3. Once or twice a month
4. Every month or so
5. Once or twice a year
6. Never

Religious Preference

36. What is your current religious preference?

IF PROTESTANT ASK:

Which specific denomination is that? _______________________

(List of religious preference categories attached for advisory purposes. See Religious Preference section.)

Overall Self-Ranking

37. To what extent do you consider yourself a religious person?

1. Very religious
2. Moderately religious
3. Slightly religious
4. Not religious at all

38. To what extent do you consider yourself a spiritual person?

1. Very spiritual
2. Moderately spiritual
3. Slightly spiritual
4. Not spiritual at all

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MEANING (Items considered for a Short Form)

1. The events in my life unfold according to a divine or greater plan.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Strongly disagree

2. I have a sense of mission or calling in my own life.

1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Disagree
4. Strongly disagree