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. 2023 Sep 30;11(1):300.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01318-9.

Measurement of psychological inflexibility: an examination of the psychometric properties of the AAQ-3 compared to AAQ-II

Shuanghu Fang  1 , Dongyan Ding  2 , Mingjie Huang  2
Affiliations

Measurement of psychological inflexibility: an examination of the psychometric properties of the AAQ-3 compared to AAQ-II

Shuanghu Fang et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Due to the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance, we would like to check the validity of the improved version of Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), i.e., Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-3 (AAQ-3), in Chinese content. The present study was aim to examine the construct and validity of the Chinese version of AAQ-3 in college students and provide an initial validation of this instrument to promote future cross-cultural examination of the psychological flexibility. Totally 1,572 college students were invited to complete the Chinese AAQ-3 and the related questionnaires at the same time. After one month, 380 participates were assessed with same questionnaires to examine the test-retest reliability. The results indicated a similar one-factor solution in the Chinese AAQ-3 to the original version by exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good. According to the testing of the measurement invariance, the one-factor model was acceptable across gender (Man = 875, Girl = 697). Additionally, Chinese AAQ-3 was significantly negatively correlated with positive mental health (life satisfaction, mindful attention awareness), significantly positively correlated with negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress), and significantly positively correlated with AAQ-II and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Besides, Chinese AAQ-3 was the strongest predictor of depression, anxiety, stress and life satisfaction compared to the AAQ-II and BEAQ. However, according to the exploratory structural equation model, the Chinese AAQ-3 demonstrated excellent discriminate validity from negative emotions. Overall, the AAQ-3 modified the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance (i.e., AAQ-II and BEAQ) as it showed better convergent validity with positive mental health indicators, better discriminant validity with negative emotions, and higher incremental validity. Therefore, the Chinese AAQ-3 is a valid measurement tool for assessing the level of experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility in Chinese college students.

Keywords: College students; Discriminant validity; Experiential avoidance; Measurement equivalence; Psychological inflexibility.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Scree plot for parallel analysis
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