2013/09/23 by Wakiza Gámez, Michael S. Chmielewski, Michael Chmielewski +5 · 2 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes #Optimism, Hope, and Well-being #Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
paper · doi:10.1037/a0034473
openalex publication_date 2013/09/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
The 62-item Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ) was recently developed to assess a broad range of experiential avoidance (EA) content. However, practical clinical and research considerations made a briefer measure of EA desirable. Using items from the original 62-item MEAQ, a 15-item scale was created that tapped content from each of the MEAQ's six dimensions. Items were selected on the basis of their performance in 3 samples: undergraduates (n = 363), psychiatric outpatients (n = 265), and community adults (n = 215). These items were then evaluated using 2 additional samples (314 undergraduates and 201 psychiatric outpatients) and cross-validated in 2 new, independent samples (283 undergraduates and 295 community adults). The resulting measure (Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire; BEAQ) demonstrated good internal consistency. It also exhibited strong convergence with respect to each of the MEAQ's 6 dimensions. The BEAQ demonstrated expected associations with measures of avoidance, psychopathology, and quality of life and was distinguishable from negative affectivity and neuroticism.