| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 889664 | Personality and Individual Differences | 2016 | 10 Pages |
•Self-report emotion regulation, reactivity measures do not show convergent validity.•Regulation, reactivity measures do not show discriminant validity.•Exploratory factor analysis shows three factors.•Factors reflect uncontrolled emotion, awareness/expression, cognitive strategies.
Emotion reactivity and emotion regulation are salient constructs in theories of emotion and emotion disorders; however, little is known about the convergent and discriminant validity of instruments used to measure them. The current paper examines the validity of four emotion-regulation and three emotion-reactivity instruments (with a total of 27 subscales) across three independent samples of university students (total N = 715). Eight subscales from a coping instrument were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis failed to show the expected patterns of convergent and discriminant validity; however, exploratory factor analysis revealed three different factors, reflecting out-of-control negative emotion, emotion awareness and expression, and cognitive strategies for emotion regulation. Results have implications for both basic emotions research and clinical science.
