Development, factorial structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Scale of Emotional Regulation for Adolescents (MSERA): Preliminary analysis

Abstract

The evaluation of emotion regulation has been focused on the cognitive component and the emotion dysregulation. However, it is also important to include emotion identification and modulation of the response for the evaluation of the regulatory process. The aim of this study was to develop a multidimensional measure of emotion regulation process in adolescents and to examine its factorial structure and reliability. An instrumental study was performed with 887 Mexican adolescents aged 13 to 18. A preliminary version of the Multidimensional Scale of Emotion Regulation for Adolescents (MSERA) was developed based on focus groups and considering the assumptions of the theoretical models. The exploratory factor analysis yielded 56 items distributed in eight factors: Recognition of positive emotions, Expression of positive emotions, Emotional control, Suppression, Cognitive change, Physical reactions, Recognition of negative emotions and Difficulty to regulate. A confirmatory factor analysis using the Robust Unweighted Least Squares, corroborated the initial solution of eight factors and showed acceptable fit indexes, considering 47 items. Ordinal alpha coefficients obtained for the factors of the final model, indicated a good internal consistency (.85-.95). Results suggest that the MSERA can be used as a valid and reliable measure of emotion regulation in adolescents.