This page contains a working list of child and adolescent specific measures related to ACT processes.
The AFQ was derived from an initial pool of 50 items developed to measure psychological acceptance, conceptualized as an active and multidimensional process involving high or low levels of: willingness to experience private events, values-oriented action, experiential avoidance, and cognitive and emotional fusion. Results of exploratory factor analysis on these initial 50 items supported a three-factor solution. Factor one consisted of 25 items, all negatively worded. Conceptually, this factor seems to tap into experiential avoidance and fusion and is now the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y).
We have used the AFQ with children and adolescents 9-17 years old. Based on results from school studies in middle Tennessee, children report good comprehension of items. The AFQ seems to be a stronger predictor of negative outcomes such as physical and emotional symptoms.
The Children's Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM; Greco, Smith, & Baer, 2009) is a 10-item measure of acceptance and mindfulness for youth.
Manuscript currently in progress.
For more information, contact Laurie Greco.
"Authors: L. A. Greco & Hart
The Diabetes Acceptance and Action Scale for Children and Adolescents is a 42-item measure that is being used to indicate levels of psychological flexibility in youth with Type 1 diabetes.
Scoring: To score the DAAS, first reverse score negatively worded items (see below), then sum all items. Higher scores on the DAAS should reflect higher levels of diabetes-related acceptance and action.
Reverse score key: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42.
The authors are still in the process of collecting data. Preliminary data obtained thus far reveals statistically significant correlations:
Diabetes-related quality of life = .36 (higher acceptance correlates with higher Quality of Life)
Diabetes-related worry = -.41
Social anxiety = -.36
Adherence to medical regimen = .30"
Information quoted from Ciarrochi, J. & Bilich, L. (2006). Process measures of potential relevance to ACT. Unpublished manuscript, University of Wollongong, Australia.
The Parental Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (PAAQ) is a specific AAQ measure designed to assess experiential avoidance in the context of parenting.
Reference:
Cheron, D.M., Ehrenreich, J.T. & Pincus, D.B. (In Press). Assessment of parental experiential avoidance in a clinical sample of children with anxiety disorders. Child Psychiatry and Human Development.
The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y; Greco, Murrell, & Coyne, 2005) is a 17-item measure that asks respondents to rate how true each item is for them (0 = Not at All True; 4 = Very True). Items are tied to ACT’s model of human suffering and were generated to represent a theoretically cohesive conceptualization of psychological inflexibility fostered by: (1) Cognitive fusion (e.g., “My thoughts and feelings mess up my life,” “The bad things I think about myself must be true”); (2) Experiential avoidance (e.g., “I push away thoughts and feelings that I don’t like”); and (3) Inaction or behavioral ineffectiveness in the presence of unwanted internal experiences (e.g., “I can’t be a good friend when I feel upset”).
Consistent with the theory underlying acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), items converged into a 17-item scale (AFQ-Y) and an 8-item short form (AFQ-Y8). Results of classical test theory, factor analysis, and item response theory support the psychometric properties of the 17-item version of the AFQ-Y and AFQ-Y8. Overall, research suggests that the AFQ-Y may be a useful and child-friendly measure of core ACT processes.
Reference
Greco, L. A., Lambert, W., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Psychological inflexibility in childhood and adolescence: Development and evaluation of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth. Psychological Assessment. 20(2), 93-102.