Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders
Objective: The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective emotion ability, as defined by a prominent clinically derived model of emotion regulation (Gratz and Roemer, 2004). Although the DERS is often used in treatment and research settings for...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539/full |
| _version_ | 1811302581030354944 |
|---|---|
| author | Lauren S. Hallion Lauren S. Hallion Shari A. Steinman David F. Tolin David F. Tolin Gretchen J. Diefenbach Gretchen J. Diefenbach |
| author_facet | Lauren S. Hallion Lauren S. Hallion Shari A. Steinman David F. Tolin David F. Tolin Gretchen J. Diefenbach Gretchen J. Diefenbach |
| author_sort | Lauren S. Hallion |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective emotion ability, as defined by a prominent clinically derived model of emotion regulation (Gratz and Roemer, 2004). Although the DERS is often used in treatment and research settings for adults with emotional (i.e., anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, or trauma-related) disorders, its psychometric properties are not well-characterized in this population.Method: We examined the psychometric properties of the DERS and three popular short forms (DERS-16; DERS-18; and DERS-SF) in a large (N = 427) sample of treatment-seeking adults with one or more DSM-5 emotional disorders.Results: For the original DERS, internal consistency was strong for all subscales except Awareness. A bifactor structure consisting of one general emotion dysregulation factor and five uncorrelated specific factors corresponding to the original DERS subscales (excluding Awareness) provided the best fit. A series of structural equation models (SEMs) demonstrated unique incremental contributions of the general factor and several specific factors to explaining concurrent clinical severity. The general factor and one specific factor (Goals) also prospectively predicted treatment outcome following a naturalistic course of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a subset of participants (n = 202) for whom discharge data were available. Specifically, more severe emotion dysregulation at intake predicted better CBT response, while more severe impairment in goal-directed activity when distressed predicted worse CBT response. All three short forms showed a robust bifactor structure and good internal consistency and convergent validity vis-à-vis the original measure, albeit with a slight decrement in incremental utility (1–3% less variance explained in clinical severity).Conclusion: With the Awareness items excluded, the DERS showed good internal consistency and a robust bifactor latent structure. The general factor and several specific factors incrementally and prospectively predicted clinical severity and treatment outcome, which suggests that the DERS may have clinical and predictive utility in treatment-seeking adults with emotional disorders. Additional research is needed to establish convergent and discriminant validity in this population. The use of a short form in lieu of the full DERS may be sufficient for many general clinical and research purposes, particularly when participant burden is a concern. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:31:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a306c86b9e3c496da2ec8133a2167f06 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T07:31:38Z |
| publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a306c86b9e3c496da2ec8133a2167f062022-12-22T02:56:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782018-04-01910.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539289634Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional DisordersLauren S. Hallion0Lauren S. Hallion1Shari A. Steinman2David F. Tolin3David F. Tolin4Gretchen J. Diefenbach5Gretchen J. Diefenbach6Anxiety Disorders Center, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesAnxiety Disorders Center, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, United StatesYale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United StatesAnxiety Disorders Center, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, United StatesYale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United StatesObjective: The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective emotion ability, as defined by a prominent clinically derived model of emotion regulation (Gratz and Roemer, 2004). Although the DERS is often used in treatment and research settings for adults with emotional (i.e., anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, or trauma-related) disorders, its psychometric properties are not well-characterized in this population.Method: We examined the psychometric properties of the DERS and three popular short forms (DERS-16; DERS-18; and DERS-SF) in a large (N = 427) sample of treatment-seeking adults with one or more DSM-5 emotional disorders.Results: For the original DERS, internal consistency was strong for all subscales except Awareness. A bifactor structure consisting of one general emotion dysregulation factor and five uncorrelated specific factors corresponding to the original DERS subscales (excluding Awareness) provided the best fit. A series of structural equation models (SEMs) demonstrated unique incremental contributions of the general factor and several specific factors to explaining concurrent clinical severity. The general factor and one specific factor (Goals) also prospectively predicted treatment outcome following a naturalistic course of outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a subset of participants (n = 202) for whom discharge data were available. Specifically, more severe emotion dysregulation at intake predicted better CBT response, while more severe impairment in goal-directed activity when distressed predicted worse CBT response. All three short forms showed a robust bifactor structure and good internal consistency and convergent validity vis-à-vis the original measure, albeit with a slight decrement in incremental utility (1–3% less variance explained in clinical severity).Conclusion: With the Awareness items excluded, the DERS showed good internal consistency and a robust bifactor latent structure. The general factor and several specific factors incrementally and prospectively predicted clinical severity and treatment outcome, which suggests that the DERS may have clinical and predictive utility in treatment-seeking adults with emotional disorders. Additional research is needed to establish convergent and discriminant validity in this population. The use of a short form in lieu of the full DERS may be sufficient for many general clinical and research purposes, particularly when participant burden is a concern.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539/fullemotion regulationdifficulties in emotion regulation scaleemotional disorderstreatment outcomepsychometricsstructural equation modeling |
| spellingShingle | Lauren S. Hallion Lauren S. Hallion Shari A. Steinman David F. Tolin David F. Tolin Gretchen J. Diefenbach Gretchen J. Diefenbach Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders Frontiers in Psychology emotion regulation difficulties in emotion regulation scale emotional disorders treatment outcome psychometrics structural equation modeling |
| title | Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders |
| title_full | Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders |
| title_fullStr | Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders |
| title_short | Psychometric Properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Its Short Forms in Adults With Emotional Disorders |
| title_sort | psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale ders and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders |
| topic | emotion regulation difficulties in emotion regulation scale emotional disorders treatment outcome psychometrics structural equation modeling |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurenshallion psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT laurenshallion psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT shariasteinman psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT davidftolin psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT davidftolin psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT gretchenjdiefenbach psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders AT gretchenjdiefenbach psychometricpropertiesofthedifficultiesinemotionregulationscaledersanditsshortformsinadultswithemotionaldisorders |