Validation of the psychometric properties of cognitive fusion questionnaire. A study of the factorial validity and factorial invariance of the measure among osteoarticular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depressive disorder, and general populations
Open accessAbstract
Background: The cognitive fusion questionnaire (CFQ) is a self‐report questionnaire that assesses the extent to which individuals are psychologically entangled with, and dominated by the form–content of their thoughts. The aim of this study was to replicate the factor structure of CFQ in osteoarticular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depressive disorder, and normative population. It further examined the factorial invariance of the CFQ across these 5 groups. Method: Data from 299 participants (N General Population = 67, N Osteoarticular Disease = 73, N Diabetes Mellitus = 47, N Depressive Disorder = 45, and N Obesity = 60) were subjected to confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) to replicate the structural model of CFQ dimensionality. Results: CFA supported a 1‐factor structure with good internal consistency and construct related validity. The 1‐factor solution was also supported by a second independent data set, which showed a configural, strict measurement, and structural invariance of the 1‐factor solution proposed. Multigroup CFA showed the configural invariance, strict measurement invariance, and structural invariance of CFQ across the 5 groups under study. Conclusions: The unidimensional model has both similar meanings and the same structure, but the measurement model across the groups was not the same. The study provides the first approach to CFQ to Portuguese population, as a reliable tool of general cognitive fusion. Furthermore, results indicated that CFQ has a coherent structure across multiple samples and clinical utility, as it discriminate individuals with psychological distress from those who do not.
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Significant positive association between rumination and depression, as well as negative association between cognitive fusion and decentring and depression have been observed.
“This finding also appears in line with previous research, where significant positive association between rumination and depression,62–65 as well as negative association between cognitive fusion and decentring (a process like cognitive defusion) and depression have been observed.58,62,66,67”
From Preliminary investigation of the associations between psychological flexibility, symptoms and daily functioning in people with chronic abdominal pain (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
The citation is attached to the claimed negative association involving cognitive fusion, decentring, and depression. In section 3.1 (page unavailable), the paper instead reports that higher cognitive-fusion scores identify the depressed group; section 3.2 likewise describes high rumination and cognitive fusion alongside high depression. The paper mentions decentring in its Introduction but does not report a decentring–depression association. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredModerate correlation between cognitive fusion and anxiety was observed in other studies.
“Similarly, moderate correlation between cognitive fusion and anxiety was observed in other studies.47,66,67”
From Preliminary investigation of the associations between psychological flexibility, symptoms and daily functioning in people with chronic abdominal pain (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
Section 3.1 reports correlations between cognitive fusion questionnaire scores and anxiety symptoms, and section 3.2 says they were in the predicted direction (page numbers unavailable). Our copy does not give the anxiety correlation's magnitude, so it does not establish that the correlation was moderate. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Costa, J. A., Marôco, J., & Pinto‐Gouveia, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Coimbra (PT)
- ISPA - Instituto Universitário (PT)
- Corresponding author
- Costa, Joana Alexandra
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-02-14
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1121-1129
- ISSN
- 1063-3995 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-0879
- OpenAlex
- W2588583068
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 2.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/78227/2011)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- cognitive fusion, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, measurement invariance, factor structure, psychometric validation, osteoarticular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, depressive disorders, psychological distress, Portuguese adaptation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Bone Diseases, Cognition, Depressive Disorder, Diabetes Mellitus, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult, Self Report
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