New Psychometric Evidence of a Bifactor Structure of the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) in Ecuadorian College Students

Abstract

Background. Emotion Regulation comprises a set of strategies (cognitive, emotional, and physiological) that allow individuals faced with internal or external stimuli to manage their emotional responses, to adapt to the environment, and to achieve goals. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is used to assess Emotion Regulation. It has been translated into several languages (including Spanish) and has been adapted around the world, but its psychometric properties have not been tested in Ecuador. Objective. To confirm the bifactor structure of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and its reliability in a sample of Ecuadorian college students. Design. A quantitative and instrumental study using Confirmatory Factor Analysis with Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation. The sample consisted of 400 participants (62.5% women), aged 18 to 25 (M = 21.1; SD = 1.95) from two universities in Ecuador and seven different undergraduate courses. Results. The bifactor model of the test is confirmed with an adequate adjustment ꭓ2 = 35.99; p > .001; ꭓ2/df = 1.43; CFI = .98; TLI = .96; SRMR = .034; and RMSEA = .033 CI95%: [.033-.052]; ωH = .70; ωHs1 = .23; ωHs2 = .35. Reliability is high with ω = .86 CI95%: [.81-.88]. Conclusion. The bifactor model of the ERQ is an adequate and reliable test to assess Emotion Regulation among Ecuadorian college students