The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire: Validation of the French Version in Non-clinical Adults

Introduction: Various studies indicate the role of experiential avoidance (EA) in the onset and maintenance of mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety disorders. The Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ) is a quick tool to assess EA. Objective: This study aimed to translate the BEAQ into French and to validate it in a sample of non-clinical adults. Method: The BEAQ was translated from English into French using the translation and back-translation technique. The translated questionnaire was submitted to 93 psychology students to identify unclear/ambiguous items. Then, the final French and the original versions of the BEAQ were administered to 64 bilingual individuals two weeks apart to assess the scale's content validity and test-retest reliability. Finally, the BEAQ-French and other scales were administered to 580 non-clinical adults to assess its factor structure and its convergent and discriminant validity. Results: Results showed no significant difference between the English and French versions of the BEAQ. The BEAQ demonstrated high internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses did not support the one-factor structure of the BEAQ. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure. The BEAQ presented satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity with related measures and measures of neuroticism, negative affect and mental health problems. Conclusion: The results suggest that the BEAQ-French is a reliable tool for assessing EA. Unlike the original version, the BEAQ-French exhibits a two-factor rather than a one-factor structure. Further research is needed to confirm this two-factor structure and to assess more precisely the convergent validity of the scale.