Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Existing research has found that individuals’ prior self-regulatory efforts can disrupt the internal balance between their control systems and impulse systems, resulting in poorer performance in subsequent control tasks. Baumeister et al. termed this phenomenon “ego depletion” and proposed the strength model of self-control. This theory suggests that the self-regulation process consumes psychological energy or resources, which are limited over a certain period. Some researchers have pointed out that prolonged or sustained high levels of self-control can impair an individual’s self-control ability. For example, dieters, due to their high restrictions on food, must frequently restrain their eating impulses, leading to chronic depletion of their self-control resources, which subsequently results in “self-regulatory fatigue” (SRF). Investigating individuals’ self-regulatory fatigue can effectively predict their self-control ability in daily life. For instance, Bertrams et al. found that individuals with high trait test anxiety are more susceptible to the effects of depletion tasks, leading to state anxiety. This suggests that trait anxious individuals may suffer from self-regulatory fatigue due to long-term regulation of their anxious emotions, making them more prone to self-regulatory failures when their resources are low. Nes et al. pointed out that self-regulation and self-control share conceptual overlaps and can sometimes be used interchangeably. Similar to self-control, self-regulation resources also involve state and trait levels and are closely related to impulsivity and persistence. Research by Dvorak and Simons employed continuous task paradigms to measure participants’ ego depletion levels, revealing that self-control traits moderate the impact of ego depletion, with individuals possessing high self-control traits being less affected by depletion tasks. Most studies on ego depletion or self-regulatory fatigue primarily utilize laboratory-based continuous task paradigms, lacking more direct measures or scales to assess ego depletion states. Although some scales exist to measure self-regulation states, there remains no definitive, widely applicable scale for self-regulatory fatigue. Therefore, Nes and colleagues developed an 18-item Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale (SRF-S) and tested it on patients with chronic diseases, finding that the scale has good reliability and validity, effectively distinguishing self-regulatory fatigue from self-control and physical fatigue, providing a more direct and accurate assessment of ego depletion.

Authors and Contact Email

Nes et al. (information not available)

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to provide a valid and reliable measure for assessing self-regulatory fatigue.

Test Year

2015 (for the original scale)

Administration Method and Scoring

The Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale was administered with a scoring system based on a Likert 5-point scale: 1 = Very Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Uncertain, 4 = Agree, 5 = Very Agree.

Reliability and Validity

The scale has shown good reliability and validity, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the scale and its dimensions being as follows:
– Overall scale: 0.84
– Cognitive subscale: 0.68
– Emotional subscale: 0.64
– Behavioral subscale: 0.69

Factors and Subscales

The scale consists of three subscales:
– 认知 (Cognitive subscale)
– 情绪 (Emotional subscale)
– 行为 (Behavioral subscale)

Keywords

Self-regulatory fatigue, ego depletion, self-control, psychological energy, chronic illness, assessment scale

Items in Chinese

1. 我感到精力充沛*C
2. 我能很轻松地设定目标*C
3. 我很难执行我的运动计划
4. 我有过要破坏某样东西的冲动 B
5. 做出决定对我来说不是问题*C
6. 我总是想一些令人不快的事情 B
7. 我很容易沮丧 E
8. 我试图回避讨论或思考困扰我的事情
9. 我能很好地处理压力*E
10. 我总是无法控制自己发脾气
11. 与朋友们保持联系对我来说很容易 C
12. 我很容易哭泣 E
13. 记住某事对我来说有困难
14. 坚持健康的饮食对我来说很容易* E
15. 我总是喜怒无常 E
16. 我有过要殴打或伤害别人的冲动 B

Items in English

1. I feel energetic*C
2. I can easily set goals*C
3. I find it hard to stick to my exercise plan
4. I have had impulses to destroy something B
5. Making decisions is not a problem for me*C
6. I often think about unpleasant things B
7. I get easily frustrated E
8. I try to avoid discussing or thinking about what troubles me
9. I handle stress well*E
10. I often find it hard to control my temper
11. Keeping in touch with friends is easy for me C
12. I cry easily E
13. It is hard for me to remember something
14. Sticking to a healthy diet is easy for me* E
15. I am often moody E
16. I have had impulses to hit or harm others B

References

王利刚,张静怡,王佳,陶婷,樊春雷,高文斌.自我调节疲劳量表中文版测评青年人的效度与信度[J].中国心理卫生杂志,2015,29(04):290-294.
原小岚. 原发性三叉神经痛患者自我调节疲劳、自我效能感与生活质量的关系研究[D].山东大学,2020.DOI:10.27272/d.cnki.gshdu.2020.003386.