Psychometric properties of the emotional regulation questionnaire in a Colombian sample

Abstract

Introduction: The Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is implemented to evaluate two typical emotion management strategies (reappraisal and suppression). This instrument has shown to present sufficient validity and reliability with different populations. However, up to now in Colombia, an exhaustive analysis of the psychometric properties of said instrument, which includes factorial invariance, has not been carried out. Method: A psychometric study was carried out with a sample of 1,500 adults (749 women), belonging to different regions of Colombia, by way of an online form. The analysis of the information was carried out with the methodological assumptions of the Classical Test Theory, including a factorial invariance analysis. Results: The ERQ items explain 55.72% of the variance; it is identified, according to a confirmatory structural equations model, that the complete scale works according to the original scale and others translated in the Latin American context. In the same way, it is determined that the ERQ complies with the factorial invariance assumptions (except according to age) and presents adequate levels of internal consistency. Discussion: The ERQ is a useful instrument for discriminating people’s ability to regulate their emotions in the face of demands posed by the social context in which they interact. A subsequent study is suggested for the establishment of scales according to age groups.