Validity and Reliability of the Dutch version of the Affective Control Scale

Abstract

Background

The Affective Control Scale (ACS) is a widely-used instrument for evaluating the fear of losing control over emotions, a key factor implicated in anxiety and depressive disorders. However, despite its widespread use, substantial inconsistencies have raised questions about the scale's reliability and validity.

Methods

This study aimed to assess the factor structure of the Affective Control Scale (ACS) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in two Dutch-speaking samples (n₁ = 250, n₂ = 325). Various factor structures, as previously proposed in the literature, were examined. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the resulting factors with concurrent measures of anxiety and depression.

Results

In both samples, a bifactor model excluding reverse-scored items demonstrated the best overall fit. However, despite showing high reliabilities, the specific factors exhibited low attributable score variance. Furthermore, the convergent validity assessment revealed poor associations between these specific factors and measures of anxiety and depression.

Limitations

The study's generalizability is limited due to the predominantly female samples. Additionally, the complexities of bifactor models may lead to overfitting of the data.

Conclusions

We conclude that a bifactor model excluding all reverse-scored items offers the most robust fit. Nevertheless, while the ACS is effective in measuring general fear of emotions, its ability to assess specific emotional fears is limited. Clinically, these findings underscore the importance of focusing on the overall fear of emotions rather than its specific components. Therefore, we recommend the use of a simplified, 30-item version of the ACS that assesses general fear of emotions.