Cognitive fusion in dementia caregiving: psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the “Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire”

Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive fusion, or the extent to which we are psychologically tangled with and dominated by the form or content of our thoughts, is a key psychopathological dimension. The aim of this study was to test the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Spanish Version of the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ; Gillanders et al., 2014) in a sample of dementia caregivers. Cognitive fusion, stressors, guilt, depression, anxiety, rumination, experiential avoidance and life satisfaction were assessed in 179 caregivers. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the factor structure of the CFQ and correlational analyses were used to assess the convergent validity of the measure. A uni-dimensional factor structure of the CFQ was confirmed. Good internal consistency and significant associations in the expected directions between the CFQ and other coping and outcome variables were found. The CFQ may be a useful questionnaire to assess cognitive fusion in Spanish speakers in general and in dementia caregivers in particular.