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Self‐reported emotion regulation difficulties in psychosis: Psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS‐16)
Author(s) -
Lawlor Caroline,
Vitoratou Silia,
Hepworth Claire,
Jolley Suzanne
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.23164
Subject(s) - psychology , confirmatory factor analysis , psychosis , convergent validity , clinical psychology , psychometrics , psychological intervention , scale (ratio) , reliability (semiconductor) , test validity , measurement invariance , predictive validity , internal consistency , structural equation modeling , psychiatry , machine learning , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science
Objective Individuals with psychosis self‐report difficulties in understanding, relating, and responding to emotions as treatment priorities, yet we lack comprehensive, reliable, and valid assessments for routine clinical use. Methods The psychometric properties of a brief version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale‐16 (DERS‐16) were examined using anonymized data from a sample of 150 outpatients with psychosis. Results Confirmatory factor analysis supported the five‐factor structure of the DERS‐16. The model fit was further improved by omitting two items. Measurement invariance was shown with respect to age and gender. The DERS‐16 demonstrated good internal consistency, well comparable to the original DERS. Evidence toward convergent validity is also presented. Conclusion Findings suggest that the DERS‐16 is a reliable and valid measure of self‐reported emotion regulation difficulties in individuals with psychosis. Further research on the clinical utility of the DERS‐16 is needed, including examination of its test–retest reliability and predictive validity in response to targeted interventions.