This study examined psychometric aspects including gender invariance testing of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form (DERS-SF) tool to assess emotion dysregulation in Indian adolescents aged between 14 and 20 years.
Authors
Naseer A. Bhat, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Bangalore N. Roopesh, Dept. of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Binukumar Bhaskarapillai, Dept. of Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Srinivasan Chokkanathan, Dept. of Social Work, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Vivek Benegal, Dept. of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Summary
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to emotion dysregulation (ED), a transdiagnostic marker of psychological disorders with implications for academic achievement, identity development, social bonding, mental health, and the overall well-being and development of adolescents.
A well-validated tool for the assessment of ED is imperative for credible advances in research on ED among Indian adolescents. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form (DERS-SF) is a promising tool to assess ED but requires proper psychometric validation among Indian adolescents. The current study validated the factor structure and examined psychometric aspects including gender invariance testing of the DERS-SF in Indian adolescents aged between 14 and 20 years.
Methods:
In a cross-sectional study, a community sample of n = 2079 adolescents completed the English version of the DERS-SF, the Strengths, and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Adolescent Problem Behaviour Index.
Results:
The six-factor model of the DERS-SF exhibited an acceptable model fit in the current study sample. Invariance testing revealed that the DERS-SF is conceptually interpreted in a similar manner by male and female adolescents. Two-way MANOVA indicated gender and age variations on a few DERS-SF subscales. Reliability for DERS-SF was good, α = 0.86. Adequate construct validity was demonstrated by moderate to strong associations of the DERS-SF subscales with measures of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, adolescent problem behaviors, and impulsivity.
Conclusions:
DERS-SF retained the popular six-factor structure with acceptable psychometric properties and hence can be reliably used with Indian adolescents.
Published in: Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
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