Abstract
The way couples regulate their emotions affects the quality of their relationship. Despite this, no evidence-based scales of validity and reliability can measure the intention to regulate emotions in the romantic dyad. In order to address this gap, we developed the Couples Extrinsic Emotion Regulation (CEER) questionnaire. First, we adapted the “Others” subscale from the Emotion Regulation of Others and Self questionnaire (EROS) for any close relationship to measure the intention to regulate emotions in couples; second, the psychometric properties of the CEER questionnaire were studied. For the content validity assessment, 23 experts (47.8% of whom worked in social and health psychology and the psychology of emotions, 17.4% in couples’ therapy, and 34.8% in social science methodologies) participated. A total of 528 Chileans completed the online CEER questionnaire, the relationship satisfaction scale (RAS) and dyadic adjustment scale (DAS): 27.8% were male, age M = 38.7, SD = 10.05, and time of the relationships M = 11.27, SD = 9.82. The content-based validity study made it possible to determine which items to include in the final version. Two unrelated first-order factors structure of the original test fit (RMSEA = .052, GFI = .97, AGFI = .95; CFI = .99; NFI = .98; and NNFI = .98). The CEER+ and CEER- factors presented adequate internal consistency (α = .79; ω = .80 and α = .85; ω = .85, respectively). The discrimination index of the factors were excellent (CEER+ = .55 and CEER- = .63). Validity evidence based on the relations to other variables showed a direct positive relation between CEER+, RAS and overall DAS, as well as their factors; and a negative relation between CEER-, RAS overall DAS, as well as their factors. The use of this instrument is recommended for the identification of Chilean couples where at least one of the partners has a less favorable opinion of their relationship, providing relevant data for couple’s therapy.
Highlights
Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) refers to social interactions aimed at improving or worsening other people’s emotions [1]
The remaining modifications involved the substitution of synonyms, sometimes in relation to nuanced meanings and in other cases, grammatical structures: “I have given him/her useful advice” was changed to “during difficult times, I supported my partner, giving advice”; “I did something nice with . . .” to “I did something nice together with
The Couples extrinsic emotion regulation (CEER) questionnaire showed validity evidence based on the test content after its items were adapted from the original Emotion Regulation of Others and Self (EROS) [27] to Chilean couples
Summary
Interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) refers to social interactions aimed at improving or worsening other people’s emotions [1]. It is based on the premise that people regulate their own emotions and seek to influence, affect, or modify other people’s emotional experiences [2]. Niven et al [3] refer to this as deliberate emotion regulation, the social regulation of affects through strategies such as deliberately attempting to influence the emotional states of others, improving, or worsening their affects. This is known as extrinsic regulation [4]. There are hedonic motives related to making others feel good, and the search for individual benefits to making them feel bad [6]
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