Examining Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in an Ecuadorian Sample

Abstract

The most popular instrument used to measure emotional regulation is the Emotion RegulationQuestionnaire (ERQ), allowing researchers to study intergroup differences in emotional regulationacross many different cultures. However, to make multi-group comparisons, factors within themeasurement instrument must be invariant across groups. This invariance is necessary to ensurethat any significant differences found between groups are due to group affiliation and not due to measurement errors in the instrument's factors. The study examined measurement invariance of the ERQ by gender using an Ecuadorian sample, where very few studies have previouslyinvestigated this issue. The sample included 815 college students. A confirmatory factor analysisindicated that the bi-factor model presented the best fit. The ERQ was invariant by gender at thestrict level according to multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The ERQ also presented goodreliability scores for both men and women with no significant differences between genders. Theseresults confirm that the ERQ is a reliable instrument and that it can detect differences in the use of emotional regulation strategies between men and women without risking errors caused bymeasurement variance