Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA)

Abstract

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed to measure individual differences in the habitual use of two key emotion regulation strategies among youth. Developed by Gullone and Taffe, this scale is an adaptation of the original Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) by Gross and John (2003), tailored to be developmentally appropriate for children and adolescents. It focuses specifically on assessing the extent to which individuals employ cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in managing both positive and negative emotional experiences.

Keywords

Emotion Regulation, Cognitive Reappraisal, Expressive Suppression, Child Psychology, Adolescent Assessment, Psychometrics, Self-Report.

Authors

Eleonora Gullone, John Taffe, James J. Gross, Oliver P. John.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ERQ-CA is to provide researchers and clinicians with a reliable and valid measure for quantifying the use of two fundamental, theoretically distinct, and commonly studied emotion regulation strategies in younger populations. Understanding how children and adolescents regulate their emotions is crucial, as these strategies are linked to various outcomes, including mental health, social functioning, and overall well-being. The scale facilitates the study of developmental trajectories in emotional management.

By using the ERQ-CA, practitioners can identify patterns of emotional management—specifically the relative preference for antecedent-focused strategies (reappraisal) versus response-focused strategies (suppression)—which can inform clinical interventions aimed at fostering adaptive emotional coping skills in youth.

Construct

The ERQ-CA explicitly measures the two core constructs derived from the process model of emotion regulation proposed by Gross (1998): Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression. These constructs represent distinct points in the emotion generative process.

Cognitive Reappraisal is an antecedent-focused strategy where the individual reinterprets an emotion-eliciting situation in a way that changes its emotional impact. This is generally considered an adaptive strategy and is associated with better psychological adjustment. Expressive Suppression, conversely, is a response-focused strategy involving the inhibition of ongoing emotion-expressive behavior. While effective in the short term, suppression is often associated with negative psychological and physiological costs.

Validity

The psychometric evaluation of the ERQ-CA, notably by Gullone & Taffe (2012), demonstrated strong evidence of validity. Construct validity was established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which supported the hypothesized two-factor structure (Reappraisal and Suppression) aligning with the theoretical model proposed for adults.

Further validity studies have shown that the ERQ-CA subscales correlate predictably with measures of affect and well-being, consistent with findings in adult samples using the original ERQ. Specifically, higher scores on Reappraisal are typically associated with higher positive affect and lower levels of psychopathology, while higher scores on Suppression are often linked to greater negative affect and internalizing symptoms, confirming predictive validity.

Reliability

The reliability of the ERQ-CA has been assessed using standard psychometric methods, typically yielding acceptable to strong internal consistency across both subscales. Studies confirm that the scale provides stable measures of emotion regulation strategies over time, indicating good test-retest reliability, which is crucial for developmental and longitudinal research designs.

Internal consistency, measured via Cronbach’s alpha, generally falls within acceptable ranges (typically above 0.70) for both the Reappraisal and Suppression subscales in various youth populations, supporting the use of the ERQ-CA scores as reliable indicators of these respective constructs.

Factor Analysis

The scale’s factor structure was rigorously tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in the validation studies, confirming the underlying theoretical model proposed by Gross and John. The analysis consistently supports a two-factor oblique model, distinguishing clearly between the six items measuring Reappraisal and the four items measuring Suppression.

This two-factor solution demonstrates that although the two strategies are modes of emotion regulation, they are empirically separable constructs in youth self-report. The factor loadings typically indicate that all items load significantly onto their intended factor, providing strong empirical support for the scoring procedure defined by the authors.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).

Language Available: Primarily English; translations are available and used in various international studies.

Population Group: Children and Adolescents.

Age Group: Typically 8 to 18 years, varying slightly based on developmental maturity and reading level.

Population Details: Originally validated on normative samples of school-aged Australian children and adolescents.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the degree to which they agree or disagree with statements describing their typical emotion regulation behaviors. Scores are calculated separately for the Reappraisal and Suppression subscales.

Keywords

Psychological Assessment, Affect, Well-being, Development, Self-regulation, Child Mental Health, Emotion Regulation.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source.)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source.)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The ERQ-CA is generally available for academic and research purposes, often without a specific fee, though users must cite the original validation papers. The primary psychometric evaluation of the ERQ-CA by Gullone and Taffe was published in 2012, building upon the theoretical framework established by Gross and John in 2003.

The original PDF regarding the psychometric evaluation can be downloaded here: Gullone, E., & Taffe, J. (2011).

Another related PDF source is available here: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c8ee/b9a6999f62566aa5fd952c47319653de1d5d.pdf

Reference’s

• Gross, J.J. & John, O.P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 348–362.
• Gullone, E., Hughes, E. K., King, N. J., & Tonge, B. (2009). The normative development of emotion regulation strategy use in children and adolescents: a 2-year follow-up study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 51(5), 567–574.
• MacDermott, S. T., Gullone, E., Allen, J. S., King, N. J., & Tonge, B. (2010). The Emotion Regulation Index for Children and Adolescents (ERICA): A psychometric investigation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(3), 301-314.
• Gullone, E., & Taffe, J. (2012). The emotion regulation questionnaire for children and adolescents (ERQ–CA): A psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 409-17. doi:10.1037/a0025777

Items of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA)

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

The ERQ-CA consists of 10 items rated on a 5-point scale where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = half and half, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree. The items are divided into two subscales: Reappraisal (items 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10) and Suppression (items 2, 4, 6, and 9).

1. When I want to feel happier‚ I think about something different
2. I keep my feelings to myself.
3. When I want to feel less bad (e.g.‚ sad‚ angry or worried). I think about something different.
4. When I am feeling happy‚ I am careful not to show it.
5. When I’m worried about something‚ I make myself think about it in a way that helps me feel better.
6. I control my feelings by not showing them.
7. When I want to feel happier about something‚ I change the way I’m thinking about it.
8. I control my feelings about things by changing the way I think about them.
9. When I’m feeling bad (e.g. sad‚ angry‚ or worried). I’m careful not to show it.
10. When I want to feel less bad (e.g. sad‚ angry‚ or worried) about something‚ I change the way I’m thinking about it