Proprietà psicometriche dell’Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y) in soggetti di 6-11 anni

The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth is a child-report measure designed to assess Psychological Inflexibility (PI). Previous research explored the psychometric properties of the short version of the questionnaire (AFQ-Y8) in Italian students aged between 11-18. This study expanded previous research on the AFQ-Y8 by exploring its psychometric properties in younger students. Participants were 102 students (51% males; mean age = 9.2; SD = 1.3) and their parents. Parents included 74 mothers (Mean age = 43.7; SD = 4.0) and 67 fathers (Mean age = 47; SD = 4.6). Students completed the AFQ-Y8 and self-report measures of anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and mindfulness. Parents completed measures of PI and psychological distress. The results suggested a reduced version of the scale with 7 items (AFQ-Y7). The AFQ-Y7 showed a unidimensional structure and adequate internal consistency. AFQ-Y7 scores positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms, and negatively with mindfulness. Higher levels of father’s PI were associated with higher children’s PI. The contribution of the AFQ-Y7 to predict children depression and anxiety was statistically significant above and beyond measures of parental distress. Findings suggest that the AFQ-Y7 is a reliable, valid, and useful measure of PI in children aged between 6-11.