Factorial Structure of the Emotional Beliefs Questionnaire: Testing Measurement Invariance and Competitive Models

Abstract

The role of metacognitive beliefs towards positive and negative emotions has been stressed by several theoretical models. The Emotion Belief Questionnaire (EBQ) has been developed to assess these metacognitive beliefs. We administrated the Italian version of the EBQ, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the DERS-Positive and the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) to a sample of Italian adults. (N = 516). Structural Equation Modelling testing the factorial structure of EBQ evidenced a good fit in the four-factor model compared to the three-factor model and model with two second order variables. The EBQ showed invariance across sex, and significant associations with validating variables. These results demonstrate the goodness of the four-factor structure for the EBQ and support its use for assessment of metacognition beliefs towards emotions.