Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ): Scale Development and Psychometric Characteristics

Cognit Ther Res. 2016 Jun;40(3):341-356. doi: 10.1007/s10608-016-9756-2. Epub 2016 Jan 30.

Abstract

Despite the popularity of emotion regulation in the contemporary literature, research has almost exclusively focused on only intrapersonal processes, whereas much less attention has been placed in interpersonal emotion regulation processes. In order to encourage research on interpersonal emotion regulation, we present a series of 4 studies to develop the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ). The final scale consists of 20 items with 4 factors containing 5 items each. The 4 factors are: Enhancing Positive Affect; Perspective Taking; Soothing; and Social Modeling. The scale shows excellent psychometric characteristics. Implications for future research are discussed.

Keywords: Emotion; anxiety; classification; depression; emotion regulation; interpersonal; mood.