Can the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale be even shorter? Development of the DERS-7

Pablo D. Valencia; Anabel De la Rosa-Gómez; Mariana Cabral-Familiar; Alejandrina Hernández-Posadas; Lorena A. Flores-Plata

doi:10.24016/2026.v12.512

Authors

Pablo D. Valencia Coordinación de Universidad Abierta y Educación Digital, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
Anabel De la Rosa-Gómez Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.
Mariana Cabral-Familiar Portobello Institute, Dublin, Ireland.
Alejandrina Hernández-Posadas Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.
Lorena A. Flores-Plata Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24016/2026.v12.512

Keywords:

Emotion regulation, validation study, factor analysis, Mexico

Abstract

Background: A 15-item version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-15) has previously been tested in Latin America. However, its factor structure remains unclear. Previous evidence suggests that, after removing the Awareness item, the scale is essentially unidimensional.

Objective: This study aimed to shorten the DERS-15 and develop a clearly unidimensional version that includes items from all the original dimensions of the scale.

Methods: Two Mexican samples seeking psychological care were analyzed (n₁ = 1,383; n₂ = 2,464). A series of exploratory factor analyses was conducted to develop a shorter version of the scale. The resulting 7-item version, referred to as the DERS-7, was then evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis, reliability estimation, measurement invariance testing by sex, and associations with related variables.

Results: The DERS-7 showed excellent model fit in the confirmatory phase (CFI = .99, RMSEA = .06) and adequate internal consistency reliability (ω = .88). The scale was invariant between sexes, and its associations with other variables were very similar to those observed for the longer version.

Conclusions: The DERS-7 appears to be a promising alternative for measuring emotional dysregulation when a global score is desired and administering longer versions of the scale is not feasible.

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