Self-reported emotion regulation difficulties in psychosis: Psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16)

Abstract

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.