The work-related acceptance and action questionnaire: Initial psychometric findings and their implications for measuring psychological flexibility in specific contexts

Article


Bond, F. W., Lloyd, J. and Guenole, N. 2013. The work-related acceptance and action questionnaire: Initial psychometric findings and their implications for measuring psychological flexibility in specific contexts. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 86 (3), pp. 331-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12001
AuthorsBond, F. W., Lloyd, J. and Guenole, N.
Abstract

Over the past decade, experimental and longitudinal research has shown that psychological flexibility is an important determinant of mental health and behavioral effectiveness in the workplace. These findings have been established using a general measure of this psychological process, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—Revised (AAQ-II). Consistent with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) theory, psychological flexibility may demonstrate even stronger associations with variables related to a work context (e.g., job satisfaction) if it were assessed using a measure of the construct that is tailored to the workplace. To test this hypothesis, we first developed such a measure, the Work-related AAQ (WAAQ). Findings from 745 participants across three studies reveal that the structure, validity and reliability of the WAAQ are satisfactory. As predicted, the WAAQ, in comparison to the AAQ-II, correlates significantly more strongly with work-specific variables. In contrast, the AAQ-II tends to correlate more strongly with outcomes that are likely to be more stable across different contexts (e.g., mental health and personality variables). These findings are discussed in relation to ACT theory.

KeywordsPsychological flexibility; acceptance; experiential avoidance; acceptance and commitment therapy
JournalJournal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Journal citation86 (3), pp. 331-347
ISSN0963-1798
Year2013
PublisherThe British Psychological Society
Accepted author manuscript
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Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12001
Publication dates
Print08 Jan 2013
Online07 Aug 2013
Publication process dates
Deposited27 Jan 2022
Copyright holder© 2013 The British Psychological Society
Additional information

This is a pre-publication version of the following article: Bond, F.W., Lloyd, J. and Guenole, N. (2013), The work-related acceptance and action questionnaire: Initial psychometric findings and their implications for measuring psychological flexibility in specific contexts. J Occup Organ Psychol, 86: 331-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12001

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