Examining Committed Action in Chronic Pain: Further Validation and Clinical Utility of the Committed Action Questionnaire

Psychosocial treatments for chronic pain conditions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, have highlighted minimizing pain avoidance behaviors and increasing engagement in valued activities as key treatment targets. In terms of salient processes within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, committed action is considered essential to the pursuit of a meaningful life, as it entails a flexible persistence over time in living consistently, with one's values. To date, however, only 1 study has examined the association between measures of committed action and important aspects of pain-related functioning. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the reliability of the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ) in a sample of 149 chronic pain patients, perform a confirmatory analysis of its factor structure, and examine how CAQ scores uniquely account for variance in functioning. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a 2-factor model, and regression analyses, which examined the cross-sectional direct effects of the 2 subscales on health-related functioning, indicated that the CAQ accounted for significant variance in functioning after controlling for relevant covariates. Overall, these findings provide further support for the CAQ as a measure of adaptive functioning in those with longstanding pain. Perspective: This article presents additional evidence for the reliability and validity of the CAQ with chronic pain patients. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the 2-factor model, with both subscales demonstrating significant associations with multiple facets of health- and pain-related functioning. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Pain Society