Validating an adapted version of the brief experiential avoidance questionnaire in Hong Kong Chinese

There is growing research interest in experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility across cultures. The original Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ) has strong construct validity, but its length has greatly restricted its application in research and clinical practice. In this study, we validated a 15-item version of the MEAQ in Hong Kong Chinese using student (n = 349) and clinical (n = 200) samples. This short version showed good internal consistency, convergence, and discriminant validity with measures of avoidance, psychopathology, and well-being. Implications for research and clinical practice were discussed