Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample
The model upon which acceptance and commitment therapy is based posits that its outcomes are mediated by increased psychological flexibility as a core process. Of the six subprocesses contributing to psychological flexibility, self-as-context has been investigated the least due to a lack of adequate...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/910 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839616499030949888 |
|---|---|
| author | Robert D. Zettle Grace A. Lyons Jonathan M. Larson Christopher Leonard |
| author_facet | Robert D. Zettle Grace A. Lyons Jonathan M. Larson Christopher Leonard |
| author_sort | Robert D. Zettle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The model upon which acceptance and commitment therapy is based posits that its outcomes are mediated by increased psychological flexibility as a core process. Of the six subprocesses contributing to psychological flexibility, self-as-context has been investigated the least due to a lack of adequate assessment. An evaluation of the psychometric properties of at least one such measure—the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS)—has been primarily limited to nonclinical populations. To address this omission, we administered the SACS to students (<i>N</i> = 132) seeking psychological services from their university counseling center. A confirmatory factor analysis failed to find an adequate fit for a previously reported two-dimensional model of the SACS, suggesting that only total scores may be appropriate in research and practice involving clinical samples. All 10 items satisfactorily loaded on a single factor to produce reliable total scaled scores, which were, as expected, significantly lower for our participants than those from a general college student sample. Even lower scores were obtained for outpatients of a psychology training clinic compared to our sample, which provided additional support for the known-groups validity of the SACS. The limitations of the findings and implications for further investigations of the measure’s psychometric and functional properties are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a4f70d6a8084458eaabee8ce923a35d2 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-a4f70d6a8084458eaabee8ce923a35d22025-07-25T13:14:23ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-07-0115791010.3390/bs15070910Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center SampleRobert D. Zettle0Grace A. Lyons1Jonathan M. Larson2Christopher Leonard3Department of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USADepartment of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USADepartment of Psychology, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USACounseling and Psychological Services, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260, USAThe model upon which acceptance and commitment therapy is based posits that its outcomes are mediated by increased psychological flexibility as a core process. Of the six subprocesses contributing to psychological flexibility, self-as-context has been investigated the least due to a lack of adequate assessment. An evaluation of the psychometric properties of at least one such measure—the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS)—has been primarily limited to nonclinical populations. To address this omission, we administered the SACS to students (<i>N</i> = 132) seeking psychological services from their university counseling center. A confirmatory factor analysis failed to find an adequate fit for a previously reported two-dimensional model of the SACS, suggesting that only total scores may be appropriate in research and practice involving clinical samples. All 10 items satisfactorily loaded on a single factor to produce reliable total scaled scores, which were, as expected, significantly lower for our participants than those from a general college student sample. Even lower scores were obtained for outpatients of a psychology training clinic compared to our sample, which provided additional support for the known-groups validity of the SACS. The limitations of the findings and implications for further investigations of the measure’s psychometric and functional properties are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/910self-as-contextpsychometric propertiesmeasurement invarianceknown-groups validity |
| spellingShingle | Robert D. Zettle Grace A. Lyons Jonathan M. Larson Christopher Leonard Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample Behavioral Sciences self-as-context psychometric properties measurement invariance known-groups validity |
| title | Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample |
| title_full | Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample |
| title_fullStr | Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample |
| title_short | Psychometric Properties of the Self-as-Context Scale with a University Counseling Center Sample |
| title_sort | psychometric properties of the self as context scale with a university counseling center sample |
| topic | self-as-context psychometric properties measurement invariance known-groups validity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/910 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robertdzettle psychometricpropertiesoftheselfascontextscalewithauniversitycounselingcentersample AT gracealyons psychometricpropertiesoftheselfascontextscalewithauniversitycounselingcentersample AT jonathanmlarson psychometricpropertiesoftheselfascontextscalewithauniversitycounselingcentersample AT christopherleonard psychometricpropertiesoftheselfascontextscalewithauniversitycounselingcentersample |