State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS)

Abstract

The State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS) is a 21-item, self-report instrument designed to measure acute, contextual difficulties in emotion regulation. Developed as a state-based adaptation of the original Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the S-DERS captures fluctuations in regulatory capacity influenced by immediate factors such as situational context, cognitive processes, and interpersonal experiences. Unlike the trait-focused DERS, the S-DERS assesses current, momentary problems with emotion regulation across four distinct dimensions: Nonacceptance, Modulate, Awareness, and Clarity.

Keywords

Emotion Dysregulation, State-based measure, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Self-report, Nonacceptance, Emotional Awareness, Psychological assessment, Psychometrics.

Authors

J. M. Lavender, M. T. Tull, D. DiLillo, T. Messman-Moore, K. L. Gratz.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the S-DERS is to provide a brief, reliable, and valid measure of transient difficulties in emotion regulation. By focusing on the state rather than the trait, the scale allows researchers and clinicians to assess how short-term environmental or internal factors influence an individual’s immediate capacity to manage and respond to their current emotional experience.

This state-based approach is crucial for understanding momentary shifts in emotional functioning, particularly in experimental settings, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), or when tracking immediate treatment effects, where trait measures may lack sensitivity to acute changes in emotion regulation ability.

Construct

The S-DERS measures emotion dysregulation, conceptualized as the inability to effectively manage the intensity and duration of emotional responses in a way that aligns with goals or situational demands. The scale operationalizes this construct across four distinct subscales derived from the original DERS framework, but applied to the current emotional moment.

The four subscales represent specific facets of state-based dysregulation:

• Nonacceptance: Reflects negative, judgmental responses to one’s current emotional state (e.g., guilt, shame, or anger directed at oneself for having the emotion).
• Modulate: Represents difficulties in controlling or modifying emotional and behavioral responses in the present moment (e.g., feeling out of control or experiencing functional impairment).
• Awareness: Measures limited attention to or recognition of current emotional states.
• Clarity: Assesses problems with identifying and understanding the precise nature of the emotional state being experienced (e.g., confusion).

Validity

The development and initial validation study (Lavender et al., 2017) established the psychometric soundness of the S-DERS. Its construct validity is supported by its adaptation from the well-established Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), ensuring theoretical alignment with existing conceptualizations of emotion dysregulation. The scale was validated on a community sample of young women, demonstrating its ability to capture the intended state-level variance in regulatory capacity.

The factor structure confirmed the hypothesized four-factor model (Nonacceptance, Modulate, Awareness, and Clarity), suggesting strong internal structural validity. The scale effectively measures acute difficulties, differentiating it from trait measures of emotional control.

Reliability

The S-DERS demonstrated adequate internal consistency and stability across the sample population during its initial validation. The total scale score exhibited robust reliability. The scale was administered to 484 women in the community, aged 18 to 25 years, providing a substantial initial normative dataset.

The descriptive statistics for the sample included a mean total score of 36.22 (Standard Deviation = 10.75). Mean scores for the subscales were reported as follows: Nonacceptance (10.19, SD = 5.30), Modulate (10.08, SD = 4.49), Awareness (13.14, SD = 4.64), and Clarity (2.81, SD = 1.42). These statistics confirm the scale’s adequate internal consistency across its multi-dimensional structure.

Factor Analysis

During the development phase by Lavender and colleagues (2017), factor analytic procedures were employed to determine the underlying structure of the 21 items. The analysis yielded a clear four-factor structure, confirming the intended multi-dimensional nature of state-based emotion regulation difficulties.

The factors identified align precisely with the subscales used for scoring: Nonacceptance, Modulate, Awareness, and Clarity. This empirical structure supports the theoretical distinction between how individuals experience, recognize, accept, and control their emotions in a momentary context, validating the scale’s ability to measure distinct components of emotion dysregulation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological assessment (State Measure)

Format: 21 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all, 5 = Completely).

Language Available: Original validation in English.

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations experiencing momentary emotional distress or dysregulation.

Age Group: Adults (validated on women aged 18–25 years).

Population Details: Initial validation sample consisted of 484 women in the community.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to rate how much each statement applies to “YOUR EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW,” ensuring measurement of immediate, state-level difficulties.

Interpretation

Items are summed to obtain a total score, where higher scores are indicative of more problems with emotion regulation. Scores are also presented for each of the four subscales, allowing for a profile of specific state-based deficits.

The scoring breakdown for the subscales is as follows:

• Nonacceptance: Negative responses to and perceptions of one’s current emotional state (items 1, 4, 5, 8, 12, 18, 20).
• Modulate: Difficulties modulating emotional and behavioral responses in the moment (items 3, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 21).
• Awareness: Limited awareness and attention to current emotional states (items 2, 6, 11, 16, 19). Note: These items are reverse-scored.
• Clarity: Problems with identifying emotional states (items 7, 14).

Percentile ranks are provided to indicate how scores on the S-DERS compare to the community sample of women (Lavender et al., 2017). A high percentile (e.g., 90th percentile, raw score of 50) indicates that an individual has more problems with emotion regulation than 90 percent of the normative group. Conversely, a percentile below 40 suggests below-average problems and effective coping strategies in the current emotional state.

Keywords

Psychological scale, State measure, Emotional assessment, Affective science, Nonacceptance, Clarity, Modulate, Clinical psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The S-DERS was developed and validated in 2017. Specific information regarding current licensing fees or permissions for clinical or commercial use must be obtained directly from the primary authors (Lavender et al.) or the journal publisher (Assessment).

Reference’s

Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment, 26(1), 41-54.

Lavender, J. M., Tull, M. T., DiLillo, D., Messman-Moore, T., & Gratz, K. L. (2017). Development and validation of a state-based measure of emotion dysregulation: The State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S-DERS). Assessment, 24(2), 197-209.

Items of the State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S- DERS)

Instructions: Please read each statement and indicate how much it applies to YOUR EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW.