Psychometric properties of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire in females with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Cognitive fusion, or the degree to which a person is entangled with their thoughts and takes them literally, is considered a normal yet detrimental cognitive process associated with diverse negative outcomes across healthy and disordered functioning, including in fibromyalgia. Given the relevance of this cognitive process, the aim of the present study is to generate empirical evidence on the reliability and validity of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) in a sample of Spanish females with fibromyalgia. In this cross-sectional study, 230 Spanish females diagnosed with fibromyalgia (mean age 56.89 years; SD = 8.96) were assessed on cognitive fusion, pain catastrophizing, personality traits, positive and negative affect, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and disease severity. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity analyses were performed. The CFQ showed a unidimensional structure, adequate temporal stability and good internal consistency. In addition, convergent and discriminant validity were found with respect to dispositional, pain-related, affective, mood and anxious measures; as well as incremental and criterion validity in the prediction of psychological symptoms or the disease severity status. The CFQ has been revealed as a solid and valid measure in the evaluation of cognitive fusion in Spanish females suffering from fibromyalgia, and may also be useful in clinical contexts due to the relationships it has shown with important outcomes. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.