The Process Model of Emotion Regulation Scale (PMERQ): Psychometric Properties and Validity of a German Version

Abstract

Past research on individual differences in emotion regulation has focused either on specific sets of strategies or on the engagement versus disengagement orientation of the regulatory efforts. A new measure, the Process Model of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (PMERQ; Olderbak et al., 2022), comprehensively assesses engagement-oriented and disengagement-oriented strategies across all stages of the emotion generation process. In this article, we present a German version of the PMERQ. In Study 1 (N = 189), we investigated the factor structure of a forward-backward translation of the original 10-scale, 45-item questionnaire. We describe how necessary revisions were identified and implemented. In Study 2 (N = 241) and Study 3 (N = 198), we show that the ten PMERQ subscales of the final German version had a predominantly appropriate factor structure and sufficient reliability. In terms of validity, the convergent, discriminant, and criterion correlations were as expected and comparable to those in the original instrument. We conclude that the German version of the PMERQ provides a reliable and valid tool for the comprehensive assessment of individual differences in emotion regulation. Due to differences in measurement models, we advise caution when using the German version for comparisons across age groups and genders.