Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills

The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) is a 39-item self-report questionnaire measuring trait mindfulness across four theoretically distinct skills: Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, and Accepting Without Judgment. Developed by Baer, Smith, and Allen in 2004 at the University of Kentucky, the KIMS was one of the first multidimensional mindfulness measures and served as a foundational model for subsequent instruments including the widely used Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The KIMS remains a valuable tool for research and clinical assessment, particularly in settings emphasizing skill-based approaches to mindfulness development.