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. 2022 Mar 8;19(6):3150.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063150.

Cross-Country Adaptation of a Psychological Flexibility Measure: The Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes

Ambra Mara Giovannetti  1 , Jana Pöttgen  2   3 , Elisenda Anglada  4 , Rebeca Menéndez  4 , Jürgen Hoyer  5 , Andrea Giordano  1   6 , Kenneth Ian Pakenham  7 , Ingrid Galán  4 , Alessandra Solari  1
Affiliations

Cross-Country Adaptation of a Psychological Flexibility Measure: The Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes

Ambra Mara Giovannetti et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Purpose: The Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) processes (CompACT) is a 23-item self-report questionnaire assessing psychological flexibility, which is the overarching construct underpinning the ACT framework. We conducted a two-phase project to develop validated versions of the CompACT in three languages: phase 1-cross-cultural adaptation; and phase 2-psychometric validation of the questionnaire for use in Italy, Germany and Spain. This article focuses on the first phase.

Methods: We translated and culturally adapted the CompACT in the three target languages, following the ISPOR TCA Task Force guidelines. The process was overseen by a translation panel (three translators, at least two multiple sclerosis (MS) researchers and a lay person), ACT experts and clinicians from the research team of each country and the original CompACT developers. We debriefed the new questionnaire versions via face-to-face interviews with a minimum of four adults from the general population (GP) and four adults with MS in each country.

Results: The translation-adaptation process went smoothly in the three countries, with some items (7 in Italy, 4 in Germany, 6 in Spain) revised after feedback from ACT experts. Cognitive debriefing showed that the CompACT was deemed easy to understand and score in each target country by both GP and MS adults.

Conclusions: The Italian, German and Spanish versions of the CompACT have semantic, conceptual and normative equivalence to the original scale and good content validity. Our findings are informative for researchers adapting the CompACT and other self-reported outcome measures into multiple languages and cultures.

Keywords: CompACT; cultural adaptation; linguistic validation; outcome measures; psychological flexibility.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ambra Mara Giovannetti and Alessandra Solari report grants from Fondazione Italiana Sclerosi Multipla (FISM) while conducting the study; Alessandra Solari reports personal fees from Biogen Idec, Merck Serono, Novartis, Almirall and Excemed. Jana Pöttgen reports grants from Merck Serono and BMS Celgene. All the other coauthors reported no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Translation process. MS is multiple sclerosis; PI is principal investigator; ACT is acceptance and commitment therapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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