Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS)
Volume 36, April 2025
Authors
Jennifer Krafft, Ashley C. Middleton, Natalie Tadros
Key Findings
- The MPFI-EMA, an adapted version of the MPFI-24, was developed.
- Between-person and within-person reliability of the MPFI-EMA was supported.
- Most MPFI-EMA scales met convergent and divergent validity criteria.
- Reactivity over time was observed for some scales and subscales.
- 64 to 81 percent of variance was at the between-person level.
Abstract
The Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI), and its short form, the MPFI-24, have demonstrated strong psychometric properties in assessing all components of psychological flexibility and inflexibility (Gregoire et al., 2020; Rolffs et al., 2018). However, these measures have not been validated for their use in ecological momentary assessment (EMA), a methodology that is important for understanding within-person change processes and furthering the progress of contextual behavioral science. Therefore, we conducted a preliminary psychometric investigation of the MPFI-EMA, a version of the MPFI-24 adapted for EMA, in a U.S. college student sample (n = 126). Our results provide support for the validity and reliability of the MPFI-EMA. However, validity for assessing within-person variability remained unclear, psychometric limitations were observed for some subscales, and reactivity over time occurred for the MPFI-EMA Psychological Inflexibility scale and specific subscales. Limitations include the use of novel cutoffs, as criteria for psychometric validation within EMA are not well-established, and the need for replication in diverse samples, including clinical populations.