Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42821583›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

A network psychometric evaluation of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - III and PsyFlex.

Francisco J Ruiz, Douglas M Bastidas-Suárez, Camilo A Vargas

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Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Francisco J RuizFundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Bogotá, Colombia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8863-1111
Douglas M Bastidas-SuárezUniversidad de San Buenaventura, Bogotá, Colombia.
Camilo A VargasFundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Bogotá, Colombia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychological flexibility and inflexibility are core processes in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model and are consistently associated with well-being and emotional distress. However, the validity of widely used measures, particularly the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - II (AAQ-II), has been questioned due to potential overlap with indicators of distress and neuroticism. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - III (AAQ-III) and the PsyFlex in a general population sample from Colombia (N = 785) using network psychometrics. We estimated the dimensionality of each scale via Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) and evaluated replicability via bootstrap EGA (bootEGA). Discriminant validity was examined using a joint EGA that included the AAQ-III, PsyFlex, and measures of emotional distress (DASS-21) and neuroticism (BFI-2-Neuroticism). Convergent validity was assessed through correlations with the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory - Short Form. EGA identified unidimensional structures for both instruments, and bootEGA confirmed perfect structural consistency and item stability. The joint EGA yielded five distinct communities, with the AAQ-III and PsyFlex forming separate communities from emotional symptoms and neuroticism, providing structural evidence consistent with the discriminant validity of both measures. Both instruments showed the expected patterns of correlations with flexibility and inflexibility processes. These findings provide initial validation evidence that the Spanish versions of the AAQ-III and PsyFlex are psychometrically sound measures of psychological inflexibility and flexibility.

Indexed as

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyPsychometricsAdolescentAdultColombiaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuroticismReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID42821583
PMCPMC13630237

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.