Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – DERS
A 36-item self-report measure assessing clinically significant difficulties in emotion regulation across multiple dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – DERS was developed by Kim L. Gratz & Lizabeth Roemer (2004). It is designed to measure Emotion Dysregulation. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 36 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Nonacceptance of emotional responses, Difficulty engaging in Goal-directed behavior, Impulse control difficulties, Lack of emotional awareness, Limited access to emotion regulation strategies, Lack of emotional clarity.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Nonacceptance of emotional responses | 11,12,21,23,25,29 | 6 |
| Difficulty engaging in Goal-directed behavior | 13,18,20,26,33 | 5 |
| Impulse control difficulties | 3,14,19,24,27,32 | 6 |
| Lack of emotional awareness | 2,6,8,10,17,34 | 6 |
| Limited access to emotion regulation strategies | 15,16,22,28,30,31,35,36 | 8 |
| Lack of emotional clarity | 1,4,5,7,9 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Almost never (0-10%), 2 = Sometimes (11-35%), 3 = About half the time (36-65%), 4 = Most of the time (66-90%), 5 = Almost always (91-100%).
The scale includes 11 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 36 to 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low difficulties in emotion regulation: 36 – 72
- Moderate difficulties in emotion regulation: 73 – 108
- High difficulties in emotion regulation: 109 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha = 0.93.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.