title: Further development in the assessment of psychological flexibility: a shortened Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ-8).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Committed action is a relatively understudied facet of the psychological flexibility model but a potentially important process of overt behaviour in relation to chronic pain. In this study, we take a previously developed measure of committed action, the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ), and validate a shorter version.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 664 adults seeking treatment for chronic pain participated in this study. They provided responses to the CAQ and also completed measures of acceptance and health-related daily functioning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as Mokken scaling analysis were used to explore the structure of the CAQ and produce an 8-item version (CAQ-8).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A two-factor scale emerged from the analyses that both meets criteria for reliability and validity and performs comparably to the longer original version. In validity correlation analyses, committed action as measured by the CAQ-8 was significantly associated with pain-related and general acceptance and with depression, physical and social functioning, mental health, vitality and general health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CAQ-8 appears equally adequate as the CAQ as a measure of committed action. Its development ought to facilitate further study of this process of engagement in activity and of the wider psychological flexibility model in relation to chronic pain.
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Section, Psychology Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK; INPUT Pain Management, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: McCracken
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chilcot
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Norton
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires