Assessment of psychological (in)flexibility in the Portuguese population: Validation of the brief version of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI-24)

Authors

  • Carina Pereira Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Coimbra, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5339-112X
  • Marina Cunha Instituto Superior Miguel Torga; CINEICC – Centro de Investigação em Neuropsicologia e Intervenção Cognitivo-Comportamental – Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5957-1903
  • Ilda Massano-Cardoso Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Coimbra; Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra; Centro de Estudos e Investigação em Saúde da Universidade de Coimbra (CEISUC) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2510-2348
  • Ana Galhardo Instituto Superior Miguel Torga; CINEICC – Centro de Investigação em Neuropsicologia e Intervenção Cognitivo-Comportamental – Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3484-6683

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2023.9.1.285

Keywords:

Psychological Flexibility, Psychological inflexibility, Assessment, Factor structure, Psychometric validation, Quantitative study

Abstract

Objective: Translation and validation of the brief version of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI-24) for the Portuguese population. Methods: The sample consisted of 650 participants aged between 18 and 74 years. Participants completed an online protocol consisting of a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory-24 (MPFI-24), the Psy-Flex, the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), and the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the MPFI-24 showed the plausibility of the two-factor higher-order model with six first-order Psychological Flexibility (PF) factors and six first-order Psychological Inflexibility (PI) factors. The MPFI-24 showed adequate reliability, with alpha values greater than .70 on the overall indices and on all factors. It also showed good temporal stability. The PF showed a positive association with psychological flexibility, as assessed by Psy-Flex, and with the perception of mental health (MHC-SF) and a negative association with negative emotional states (PHQ-4). PI revealed the opposite pattern, with all correlations being moderate and significant. Age showed a positive association with FP and a negative association with PI. No gender differences were found for the two global indicators. Conclusions: The MPFI-24 proved to be a valid and reliable inventory to assess PF and PI in adults from the Portuguese population. This instrument can be used in clinical and research contexts and can be a relevant contribution to the design of interventions aimed at increasing psychological flexibility.

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Published

2023-03-16

How to Cite

Pereira, C., Cunha, M., Massano-Cardoso, I., & Galhardo, A. (2023). Assessment of psychological (in)flexibility in the Portuguese population: Validation of the brief version of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI-24). Portuguese Journal of Behavioral and Social Research, 9(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2023.9.1.285

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Original Paper