The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – II: An Item Response Theory Analysis

Authors

Clarissa W. Ong, Utah State University
Benjamin G. Pierce, Utah State University
Douglas W. Woods, Marquette UniversityFollow
Michael P. Twohig, Utah State University
Michael E. Levin, Utah State University

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

3-2019

Publisher

Springer Nature

Source Publication

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment

Source ISSN

0882-2689

Abstract

Psychological flexibility is the act of being open to internal experiences while pursuing valued life directions and has been implicated in positive mental health. A lack of psychological flexibility has been implicated in a wide range of mental health problems. In most research, assessment of psychological (in) flexibility has been done with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – II (AAQ-II), yet researchers have noted that items on the AAQ-II may not adequately discriminate between responses to experiences and the experiences themselves. Furthermore, little research has examined whether items on the AAQ-II function as intended in terms of assessing psychological (in) flexibility and whether items function differently across populations. The present study used an item response theory framework to examine item functioning in the AAQ-II across items (within the measure) and across non-distressed student, distressed student, outpatient, and residential samples. The analyses identified differences in functioning between items, with some items being more sensitive to differences in psychological inflexibility. No items performed well in assessing psychological flexibility (as opposed to inflexibility) or positive functioning. Items functioned similarly across samples, yet patterns of responding differed in the non-distressed student versus residential and outpatient samples. Implications for use of the AAQ-II in clinical and research contexts are discussed.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Vol. 41, No. 1 (March 2019): 123-134. DOI. © 2019 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Used with permission.

Shareable link provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative.

Recommended Citation

Ong, Clarissa W.; Pierce, Benjamin G.; Woods, Douglas W.; Twohig, Michael P.; and Levin, Michael E., "The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – II: An Item Response Theory Analysis" (2019). Psychology Faculty Research and Publications. 439.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/psych_fac/439