Youths struggling with emotions and thoughts: validation of the Italian version of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (I-AFQ-Y)
Marta Schweiger, Arianna Ristallo, Annalisa Oppo, Francesca Pergolizzi, Giovambattista Presti, Paolo Moderato
The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y) is a self-report measure for adolescents. The
questionnaire assesses cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance as described by Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (ACT). The aim of this study is to analyse the psychometric properties and factorial
structure of the Italian version of the instrument (I-AFQ-Y). The I-AFQ-Y was administered to 1248
students (aged 11-18) in 12 schools. The EFA, performed on 604 participants recruited during study
1, shows a one-factor solution named «Psychological Inflexibility». CFA, performed on 644 students
recruited during study 2, confirms goodness of fit indices are adequate for the one-factor model.
The I-AFQ-Y (8 item) shows moderate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.69 for the factor
total) and moderate test-retest reliability (r = 0.64). Furthermore, the I-AFQ-Y shows a good convergent
validity with the internalising problem scale (r = 0.53) and total problem scale (r = 0.52) of the YSR,
while the correlation with the externalising problem scale is lower (r = 0.32). The short version of
the I-AFQ-Y is a valid and reliable measure, which can be easily used both in research and in clinical
practice.
Keywords
Psychological Flexibility, Experiential avoidance, Cognitive Fusion, Assessment,
Adolescence, Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y), Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (ACT).
