Psychological inflexibility in overweight and obese people from the perspective of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
PURPOSE
To identify the psychological inflexibility (PI) processes (experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, poor contact with the present moment, unclear personal values and lack of commitment to action) associated with body mass index (BMI), depression, anxiety and stress symptoms and binge eating in overweight and obese people by drawing on the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) framework.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study of 243 people with a BMI of at least 25 and aged from 18 to 60 years old. The following instruments were used: Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Weight (AAQ-W), Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ-7), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Body Image (CFQ-BI), Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), Binge Eating Scale (BES) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and t tests.


RESULTS
There were no differences between BMI categories with respect to PI variables, but PI was positively related to the severity of binge eating and to symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.


CONCLUSION
The development of interventions focused on psychological inflexibility can be useful for the treatment of symptoms associated with overweight and obesity.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
['Finger|Igor da Rosa|IDR|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2408-6614', 'de Freitas|Breno Irigoyen|BI|', 'Oliveira|Margareth da Silva|MDS|']
D064869:Acceptance and Commitment Therapy D000328:Adult D001007:Anxiety D001362:Avoidance Learning D001938:Brazil D002032:Bulimia D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D003863:Depression D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009765:Obesity D050177:Overweight D013315:Stress, Psychological
Psychological inflexibility Overweight Obesity Binge eating