Psychological Flexibility for Health and Wellbeing

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 April 2025) | Viewed by 4422

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Psychology Department, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504, USA
Interests: psychological flexibility; psychological health and wellbeing; clinical behavior analysis; interbehaviorism

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Guest Editor
Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA
Interests: psychological flexibility; flourishing; physical and psychological well-being; legal populations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Psychological flexibility has been increasingly established as a fundamental aspect of human health and well-being. Across physical, psychological, and social domains, this capacity to fully contact a range of experiences and take action consistent with personal values seems to be central to the process of thriving. In offering a sound conceptualization of what it means to be psychologically well, psychological flexibility has been fully integrated into the scientific study of wellness. Psychological flexibility seems to be measurable, as a number of assessment approaches have been validated and shown to be useful. Psychological flexibility also seems to be manipulable, as intervention studies in educational, clinical, performance, community, and correctional settings demonstrate increases in flexibility along with many positive outcomes. This Special Issue invites authors to submit publications on the topic of psychological flexibility as it relates to health and well-being. Conceptual, empirical, assessment, and review papers are welcome, and we hope for contributions from a range of disciplines across the realm of behavioral sciences.

Dr. Emily Sandoz
Dr. Thomas Sease
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • psychological flexibility
  • components of flexibility
  • health and wellness
  • resilience
  • thriving
  • flourishing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 233 KiB  
Article
Changes in Psychological Inflexibility and Intimate Partner Violence Among Men in an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Intervention Program
by Amie Zarling, Meg Berta and Ashlyn Miller
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030317 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1137
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of change in batterer intervention programs (BIPs) is essential for advancing effective interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). This study evaluates changes in psychological inflexibility and IPV behaviors among men participating in an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based BIP for [...] Read more.
Understanding the mechanisms of change in batterer intervention programs (BIPs) is essential for advancing effective interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). This study evaluates changes in psychological inflexibility and IPV behaviors among men participating in an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-based BIP for men court-mandated to domestic violence classes. Participants (N = 56) were assessed across three time points using validated measures of psychological inflexibility and IPV behaviors. Findings revealed significant improvements in psychological inflexibility and corresponding reductions in IPV behaviors over the intervention period, with medium to large effect sizes. Psychological inflexibility at the final assessment predicted IPV outcomes, accounting for 15% of the variance, even after controlling for baseline IPV, age, and race. These results highlight psychological inflexibility as a potential mechanism of change in IPV interventions. Despite this study’s strengths, including its longitudinal design and rigorous analyses, limitations such as a small sample size and lack of a control group warrant further investigation. This study underscores the potential of ACT-based interventions to reduce IPV by targeting psychological inflexibility and offers insights for refining BIPs to enhance their impact. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Flexibility for Health and Wellbeing)
13 pages, 927 KiB  
Article
The Roles of Psychological Inflexibility and Mindful Awareness on Distress in a Convenience Sample of Black American Adults in the United States
by Akihiko Masuda, Bradley L. Goodnight, Nicole E. Caporino, Cerila C. Rapadas and Erin C. Tully
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020112 - 22 Jan 2025
Viewed by 910
Abstract
Background: In recent years, the conceptual framework of psychological flexibility/inflexibility has been of global interest in the field of behavioral health. Nevertheless, studies and evidence of psychological flexibility/inflexibility remain limited for underrepresented groups of individuals, including people of color in the United States [...] Read more.
Background: In recent years, the conceptual framework of psychological flexibility/inflexibility has been of global interest in the field of behavioral health. Nevertheless, studies and evidence of psychological flexibility/inflexibility remain limited for underrepresented groups of individuals, including people of color in the United States (U.S.). Among these groups of individuals are Black Americans in the U.S. In response to this empirical gap, the present cross-sectional study investigated whether psychological inflexibility and mindful awareness were uniquely related to general psychological distress, somatization, depression, and anxiety in Black American adults in the United States. Methods: A convenience sample of 359 Black American college students completed self-report measures of interest online. Results: As predicted, correlational analyses showed that psychological inflexibility was positively associated with general psychological distress, somatization, depression, and anxiety, and that mindful awareness was negatively associated with these four distress variables. A path analysis model revealed that psychological inflexibility, but not mindful awareness, was uniquely associated with these distress variables. Conclusions: The present study extended previous findings with a convenience sample of Black American college students, suggesting that psychological inflexibility may be a useful construct for understanding psychological distress, more so than mindful awareness, among Black American adults in the U.S. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Flexibility for Health and Wellbeing)
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15 pages, 575 KiB  
Article
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Single-Session Digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention
by Michael E. Levin, Miriam N. Mukasa, Emily M. Bowers, Korena S. Klimczak and Ty B. Aller
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15010075 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1467
Abstract
Adherence challenges are common among digital mental health interventions (DMHIs). Single-session DMHIs may help by providing a low-intensity intervention that takes less time to complete. This pilot randomized controlled trial sought to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a single-session DMHI based [...] Read more.
Adherence challenges are common among digital mental health interventions (DMHIs). Single-session DMHIs may help by providing a low-intensity intervention that takes less time to complete. This pilot randomized controlled trial sought to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a single-session DMHI based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in a non-clinical sample of college students. The trial was pre-registered (NCT06139718). A total of 61 students were recruited, which was below the target of 100 participants. The participants were randomized to the single-session ACT DMHI or to a waitlist condition, with assessments completed at 1-week and 1-month follow-ups. The vast majority of participants (87%) completed the single-session ACT program. The participants provided high program satisfaction ratings. There were no differences between conditions on psychological flexibility, distress, or mental health help seeking. However, the participants assigned to ACT improved significantly more than the waitlist on well-being from baseline to 1-month follow-up (d = 0.29). Overall, the results were mixed, with some support for the acceptability and potential efficacy of a single-session ACT DMHI but also a lack of effect, most notably on psychological flexibility as the process of change in ACT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Flexibility for Health and Wellbeing)
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