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Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale: The DERS-16

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Abstract

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely-used, theoretically-driven, and psychometrically-sound self-report measure of emotion regulation difficulties. However, at 36-items, the DERS may be challenging to administer in some situations or settings (e.g., in the course of patient care or large-scale epidemiological studies). Consequently, there is a need for a briefer version of the DERS. The goal of the present studies was to develop and evaluate a 16-item version of the DERS – the DERS-16. The reliability and validity of the DERS-16 were examined in a clinical sample (N = 96) and two large community samples (Ns = 102 and 482). The validity of the DERS-16 was evaluated comparing the relative strength of the association of the two versions of the DERS with measures of emotion regulation and related constructs, psychopathology, and clinically-relevant behaviors theorized to stem from emotion regulation deficits. Results demonstrate that the DERS-16 has retained excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, and good convergent and discriminant validity. Further, the DERS-16 showed minimal differences in its convergent and discriminant validity with relevant measures when compared to the original DERS. In conclusion, the DERS-16 offers a valid and brief method for the assessment of overall emotion regulation difficulties.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant R01 HD062226, awarded to the eighth author (DD). Additional funding was provided by the Stockholm County Council (ALF project; grant number: 20140428) and the Fredrik och Ingrid Thurings stiftelse.

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Experiment Participants

All study procedures were approved by the appropriate institutional review committee and meet the guidelines of the responsible government agency. Written informed consent was obtained for all participants prior to participation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels Väg 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden

    Johan Bjureberg, Brjánn Ljótsson, Erik Hedman, Hanna Sahlin & Clara Hellner Gumpert

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Matthew T. Tull & Kim L. Gratz

  3. Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lars-Gunnar Lundh & Jonas Bjärehed

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    David DiLillo

  5. Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    Terri Messman-Moore

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  1. Johan Bjureberg
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Appendix

Appendix

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – 16 Item Version (DERS-16)

1

2

3

4

5

Almost never

Sometimes

About half the time

Most of the time

Almost always

0–10 %

11–35 %

36–65 %

66–90 %

91–100 %

Please indicate how often the following statements apply to you by writing the appropriate number from the scale above (1–5) on the line beside each item.

1. I have difficulty making sense out of my feelings. [CLARITY*]

2. I am confused about how I feel. [CLARITY]

3. When I am upset, I have difficulty getting work done. [GOALS]

4. When I am upset, I become out of control. [IMPULSE]

5. When I am upset, I believe that I will remain that way for a long time. [STRATEGIES]

6. When I am upset, I believe that I’ll end up feeling very depressed. [STRATEGIES]

7. When I am upset, I have difficulty focusing on other things. [GOALS]

8. When I am upset, I feel out of control. [IMPULSE]

9. When I am upset, I feel ashamed with myself for feeling that way. [NONACCEPTANCE]

10. When I am upset, I feel like I am weak. [NONACCEPTANCE]

11. When I am upset, I have difficulty controlling my behaviors. [IMPULSE]

12. When I am upset, I believe that there is nothing I can do to make myself feel better. [STRATEGIES]

13. When I am upset, I become irritated with myself for feeling that way. [NONACCEPTANCE]

14. When I am upset, I start to feel very bad about myself. [STRATEGIES]

15. When I am upset, I have difficulty thinking about anything else. [GOALS]

16. When I am upset, my emotions feel overwhelming. [STRATEGIES]

  1. CLARITY = Lack of Emotional Clarity; GOALS = Difficulties Engaging in Goal-Directed Behavior; IMPULSE = Impulse Control Difficulties; STRATEGIES = Limited Access to Effective Emotion Regulation Strategies; NONACCEPTANCE = Nonacceptance of Emotional Responses.
  2. *Factor as described in the original study of the 36-item DERS (Gratz and Roemer 2004). This information was not presented to participants

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Bjureberg, J., Ljótsson, B., Tull, M.T. et al. Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale: The DERS-16. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 38, 284–296 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-015-9514-x

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