Abstract
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz and Roemer, Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment
26:41–54, 2004) is a popular multidimensional self-report measure of emotion regulation. The present study sought to examine the latent
factor structure of the DERS. An examination of latent factor intercorrelations and a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis
(CFA) suggested that the DERS-AWARENESS dimension may not represent the same higher-order emotion regulation construct as
the other five DERS dimensions. Furthermore, findings supported the adequacy of a revised five-factor model of the DERS in
which the AWARENESS dimension was removed. This revised DERS total scale did not diminish concurrent relations between the
DERS and outcomes relevant to the emotion regulation domain (i.e., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms). Implications
for the conceptualization and assessment of emotion regulation are discussed.
26:41–54, 2004) is a popular multidimensional self-report measure of emotion regulation. The present study sought to examine the latent
factor structure of the DERS. An examination of latent factor intercorrelations and a higher-order confirmatory factor analysis
(CFA) suggested that the DERS-AWARENESS dimension may not represent the same higher-order emotion regulation construct as
the other five DERS dimensions. Furthermore, findings supported the adequacy of a revised five-factor model of the DERS in
which the AWARENESS dimension was removed. This revised DERS total scale did not diminish concurrent relations between the
DERS and outcomes relevant to the emotion regulation domain (i.e., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms). Implications
for the conceptualization and assessment of emotion regulation are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-11
- DOI 10.1007/s10862-012-9280-y
- Authors
- Joseph R. Bardeen, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
- Thomas A. Fergus, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
- Holly K. Orcutt, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
- Journal Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment
- Online ISSN 1573-3505
- Print ISSN 0882-2689