Evaluating Psychological Inflexibility: Validation of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) in Malaysian University Students
Chua Bee Seok, Rosnah Wider, Ismail
Despite the growing application of acceptance-based interventions in higher education, empirical evidence on the psychometric properties of psychological inflexibility measures among Malaysian university students remains limited. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) among Malaysian university students. Participants were undergraduate students recruited from several universities in Malaysia (N = 550). Measures administered included psychological inflexibility and cognitive fusion. The AAQ-II demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .91). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable to good model fit across multiple indices. Consistent with acceptance and commitment therapy theory, the AAQ-II demonstrated strong concurrent validity by positively associating with cognitive fusion. Overall, the findings provide robust empirical support for the reliability, structural validity, and concurrent validity of the AAQ-II for use among Malaysian university students. This study contributes to the limited local psychometric literature on acceptance-based measures in higher education and supports the use of the AAQ-II in both research and student mental health assessment within the Malaysian context.
Keywords
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Psychological inflexibility, Psychometric properties, Malaysian university students, Acceptance and commitment therapy, Mental health.
