Examining the Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Across Taiwanese and American University Students

Abstract

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely used measure of emotion dysregulation. However, limited research has examined its factor structure and measurement invariance in cross-national samples. The present study tested competing measurement models and the measurement invariance of the DERS in university student samples from the United States ( n = 324) and Taiwan ( n = 399). Results indicated that the bifactor model with the Awareness subscale items removed demonstrated the best fit. The results of model-based indices provided evidence for the general emotion dysregulation factor of the DERS. Cross-national measurement invariance testing found partial strong invariance. These findings indicate that DERS would best be used as a measure of general emotion dysregulation among college students in the United States and Taiwan. These findings emphasize that future work is needed to examine cross-national differences in the construct and assessment of emotion dysregulation.