The Structural Organization and Construct Validity Evidence of the Brazilian Versions of the Mysticism Scale and the Ego-Dissolution Inventory in a Major Religion of the Ayahuasca
Savoldi R., Roazzi A., Escobar JAC., Nour MM., Carhart-Harris R.
Mystical experiences and ego dissolution are essential to understanding the lasting psychological effects of psychedelics or even natural religious experience. The main objective of the article is to present evidence of construct validity in the adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Hood Mysticism Scale (HMS) and the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI)-8 through two psychometric techniques: the smallest space analysis technique and the factorial analysis. Design: a cross-sectional survey. The sample consisted of 1414 members of the União do Vegetal religion. The smallest space analysis (SSA) identified three distinct regions in HMS: introversive mysticism, extroversive mysticism, and interpretation. The SSA for EDI-8 suggests four distinct regions, which were conceptualized as (1) loss of ego, (2) total dissolution, (3) ego quiet, and (4) internal–external unity. In addition, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the factorial replicability of the HMS and EDI-8. The CFA presented acceptable support for the dimensional structures tested. Conclusion: Results show good reliability and validity indicators, which endorse the Portuguese HMS and EDI-8 application in future research.