Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

Abstract

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely utilized self-report instrument designed to provide a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of emotion dysregulation. Developed by Kim L. Gratz and Lizabeth Roemer in 2004, the DERS moves beyond simple assessments of emotional intensity or control to delineate specific facets of emotion regulation difficulties. It operationalizes emotion dysregulation as a complex construct involving difficulties related to awareness, clarity, acceptance, engagement in goal-directed behavior, impulse control, and access to effective coping strategies. The scale is instrumental in clinical and research settings for identifying core deficits underlying various forms of psychopathology.

Keywords

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS, Emotion Regulation, Emotional Dysregulation, Psychometrics, Self-Report, Psychological Assessment, Clinical Psychology, Psychopathology.

Authors

Kim L. Gratz, Lizabeth Roemer

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the DERS is to rigorously measure clinically relevant aspects of emotion dysregulation. Prior to its development, existing measures often focused on single aspects of emotion control or were conceptually tied too closely to specific disorders. The DERS was created to offer a broad, theoretically grounded framework for assessing the typical ways individuals struggle to manage emotional experiences, particularly intense negative affect.

It serves as a critical tool for researchers investigating the role of emotion dysregulation across diverse diagnostic categories, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), anxiety disorders, depression, and substance use disorders. Clinically, the DERS helps therapists pinpoint specific areas of deficit—such as lack of clarity or non-acceptance of emotions—allowing for tailored treatment planning, particularly within modalities like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Construct

The DERS measures the construct of emotion dysregulation through six distinct, but related, dimensions. These dimensions collectively capture the complexity of difficulties experienced when attempting to modulate emotional responses. The six factors are:

• Nonacceptance of Emotional Responses: The tendency to have secondary negative emotional reactions (e.g., shame, guilt, self-criticism) to one’s own emotional experiences.
• Difficulty Engaging in Goal-Directed Behavior: The inability to concentrate, function, or complete tasks when experiencing negative emotions.
• Impulse Control Difficulties: Problems with controlling behavior when distressed, leading to impulsive or destructive actions.
• Lack of Emotional Awareness: The degree to which individuals attend to and are mindful of their emotional states.
• Limited Access to Emotion Regulation Strategies: The belief that one cannot effectively employ strategies to modulate distress or the inability to access comforting or positive strategies when upset.
• Lack of Emotional Clarity: The extent to which an individual understands what specific emotion they are feeling.

Validity

Initial validation studies demonstrated robust evidence for the DERS’s validity. Construct validity was supported by the scale’s ability to differentiate between clinical populations known to struggle with emotion regulation (e.g., individuals with BPD) and non-clinical control groups. Furthermore, the DERS showed significant convergent validity, correlating positively with other measures of affect intensity, emotional instability, and general psychological distress.

Discriminant validity was established by showing that the DERS total score and subscale scores were distinct from, though related to, measures of general anxiety and depression, suggesting it measures a unique construct beyond general negative affectivity. The scale’s utility has been consistently replicated across subsequent studies, confirming its ability to predict functional impairment related to emotional difficulties.

Reliability

The DERS exhibits excellent internal consistency, both for the total score and for its six subscales. In the original validation study (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), the overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was very high, typically exceeding .90, indicating strong inter-relatedness among the 36 items. Subscale alphas generally range from acceptable to strong (e.g., .80 to .89), confirming that each factor reliably measures its intended dimension of dysregulation.

Test-retest reliability has also been demonstrated across various time intervals, supporting the stability of the DERS scores over time, particularly in non-treatment populations. These findings confirm the DERS as a reliable measure suitable for both cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs.

Factor Analysis

The DERS was developed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to establish its multidimensional assessment structure. The initial analysis supported a six-factor model, which provided a significantly better fit to the data than a single, global dysregulation factor. This six-factor structure has been largely maintained and replicated in numerous studies across different cultures and populations, confirming the scale’s theoretical foundation.

The factors identified correspond directly to the six core dimensions of emotion dysregulation: Nonacceptance, Goals, Impulse, Awareness, Strategies, and Clarity. This robust factor structure allows researchers and clinicians to obtain a detailed profile of an individual’s specific regulatory weaknesses rather than just a global indicator of difficulty.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire

Format: 36 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Almost Never to 5 = Almost Always). The total score is calculated by summing the scores of the 36 items, with several items being reverse-scored (R) to ensure consistent directionality, where higher scores indicate greater difficulty in emotion regulation.

Language Available: English (original), and numerous validated translations including Spanish, German, Dutch, Chinese, and others.

Population Group: Clinical and Non-clinical adults; also adapted versions for adolescents (DERS-A) and children (DERS-C).

Age Group: Typically 18 years and older for the standard DERS.

Population Details: The scale is frequently used with populations experiencing significant emotional distress, including those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Major Depressive Disorder.

Test Methodology: Pen-and-paper or digital administration. Scoring involves summing the subscale scores or the total score, with the maximum score indicating severe dysregulation.

Keywords

Emotional Clarity, Nonacceptance of Emotion, Impulse Control, Goal-Directed Behavior, Assessment Tool, Psychological Measurement, Gratz and Roemer, Affective Science.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: The original corresponding author email provided is: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed to Kim L. Gratz (the primary author) at her affiliated institution at the time of publication or current academic post.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The DERS is generally available for non-commercial academic research use without a fee, though users are typically required to cite the original 2004 publication. Commercial or clinical use may require specific permission from the authors. The scale was initially validated and published in 2004.

The original PDF of the scale, often used for research purposes, can be downloaded here: http://chipts.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/02/Difficulties-in-Emotion-Regulation-Scale_DERS_.pdf

Another resource related to the assessment can be found here: http://91.190.232.206:8080/predmet/inostr/psychos/Emotionalregulation.pdf

Reference’s

Gratz, K.L. & Roemer, E. (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.

Kim L. Gratz; and Lizabeth Roemer. 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, Vol. 26, No. 1, March 2004.

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Items of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Please indicate how often the following 36 statements apply to you by writing the appropriate number from the scale above (1 – 5) in the box alongside each item.