French validation of the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire

Abstract

Background: Emotion regulation (ER) has become the target of multiple clinical interventions, given its transdiagnostic features. The goal of this study was to validate a French version of the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire (ERSQ, Berking & Znoj, 2008), which provides an overview of the ER skills described in the Adaptive Coping with Emotions model. Method: This online study was comprised of different questionnaires designed to analyse the psychometric properties of the ERSQ in both French and Canadian non-clinical populations (n = 658). Results: The nine subscales based on the nine factors show a satisfactory internal consistency. The scale also demonstrates good convergent validity and acceptable test-retest validity. The proposed nine-factor model shows an adequate fit to the data, with all approximate fit indices showing acceptable model fit. Limitation: This online study can be associated with common limits of self-reported measures. Moreover, our results should be replicated in future studies, for example in clinical samples, to validate its discriminant capacity. Conclusions: The French version of the ERSQ can be considered as a reliable instrument for assessing ER skills. Contrary to other related questionnaires, the ERSQ measures multiple dimensions considered as possible targets of psychological interventions.