difficulties in emotion regulation scale ders

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

Self-Regulation

Instructions:

Please press the response that is most true for you.

Almost NeverSometimesAbout half the timeMost of the timeAlmost always
 

 

I am clear about my feeling54321
I pay attention to how I feel54321
I experience my emotions as overwhelming and out of control12345
I have no idea how I am feeling12345
I have difficulty making sense out of my feelings12345
I am attentive to my feelings54321
I know exactly how I am feeling54321
I care about what I am feeling54321
I am confused about how I feel12345
When I’m upset, I acknowledge my emotions54321
When I’m upset, I become angry with myself for feeling that way12345
When I’m upset, I become embarrassed for feeling that way12345
When I’m upset, I have difficulty getting work done12345
When I’m upset, I become out of control12345
When I’m upset, I believe that I will remain that way for a long time12345
When I’m upset, I believe that I’ll end up feeling very depressed12345
When I’m upset, I believe that my feelings are valid and important54321
Almost NeverSometimesAbout half the timeMost of the timeAlmost always
 When I’m upset, I have difficulty focusing on other things12345
When I’m upset, I feel out of control12345
When I’m upset, I can still get things done54321
When I’m upset, I feel ashamed with myself for feeling that way12345
When I’m upset, I know that I can find a way to eventually feel better54321
When I’m upset, I feel like I am weak12345
When I’m upset, I feel like I can remain in control of my behaviours54321
When I’m upset, I feel guilty for feeling that way12345
When I’m upset, I have difficulty concentrating12345
When I’m upset, I have difficulty controlling my behaviours12345
When I’m upset, I believe that there is nothing I can do to make myself feel better12345
When I’m upset, I become irritated with myself for feeling that way12345
When I’m upset, I start to feel very bad about myself12345
When I’m upset, I believe that wallowing in it is all I can do12345
When I’m upset, I lose control over my behaviours12345
When I’m upset, I have difficulty thinking about anything else12345
When I’m upset I take time to figure out what I’m really feeling.54321
When I’m upset, it takes me a long time to feel better12345
When I’m upset, my emotions feel overwhelming12345

Description

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a instrument measuring emotion regulation problems. The 36 items ask the respondent to rate themselves on how they relate to their emotions. This tool can be especially useful in helping patients identify areas for growth in how they respond to their emotions, especially those with Borderline Personality Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder or Substance Use Disorder. This scale measures an integrative conceptualization of emotion regulation as involving not just the modulation of emotional arousal, but also the awareness, understanding, and acceptance of emotions, and the ability to act in desired ways regardless of emotional state. Given that successful emotion regulation is a key aspect of personal well-being, difficulties in emotion regulation are theorised to be a transdiagnostic risk for the onset and maintenance of psychopathological disorders. The scale has the following subscales: 1. Nonacceptance of emotional responses 2. Difficulty engaging in Goal-directed behaviour 3. Impulse control difficulties 4. Lack of emotional awareness 5. Limited access to emotion regulation strategies 6. Lack of emotional clarity

Validity and Reliability

In a sample of undergraduate students (Gratz & Roemer, 2003) found that the DERS had high internal consistency, good test–retest reliability, and adequate construct and predictive validity. Based on a sample of 427 adults presenting at an outpatient clinic diagnosed with one or more DSM-5 disorder, Hallion et al. (2018) found that the DERS has good internal consistency, particularly when the Awareness subscale is excluded, indicating that Awareness may be a seperate construct. The means and standard deviations for the same sample are presented below. – Total M = 89.33, SD = 22.64 – Non-acceptance M = 14.67, SD = 5.92 – Goals M = 15.42, SD = 4.215 – Impulse M = 12.58, SD = 4.97 – Awareness M = 15.55, SD = 4.92 – Strategies M = 19.67, SD = 7.31 – Clarity M = 12.01, SD = 4.04

Interpretation

Higher scores suggest greater problems with emotion regulation. Scores are presented as a total score as well as a score for each of the 6 subscales. Scores are also presented as a percentile rank, which compares the scores against adults seeking outpatient psychological therapy (Hallion et al., 2018). A percentile of 50 indicates typical scores in comparison to others presenting for treatment, with high (more severe) scores being predictive of bigger treatment gains from CBT. 1. Nonacceptance of emotional responses: 11, 12, 21, 23, 25, 29 2. Difficulty engaging in goal-directed behaviour: 13, 18, 20R, 26, 33 3. Impulse control difficulties: 3, 14, 19, 24R, 27, 32 4. Lack of emotional awareness: 2R, 6R, 8R, 10R, 17R, 34R 5. Limited access to emotion regulation strategies: 15, 16, 22R, 28, 30, 31, 35, 36 6. Lack of emotional clarity: 1R, 4, 5, 7R, 9

Developer

Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment, 26(1), 41-54.

Number Of Questions

36

References

Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment, 26(1), 41-54.

Hallion, L. S., Steinman, S. A., Tolin, D. F., & Diefenbach, G. J. (2018). Psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 539.

Cite this article

mohammad looti (2026). Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/difficulties-in-emotion-regulation-scale-ders-2/

mohammad looti. "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/difficulties-in-emotion-regulation-scale-ders-2/.

mohammad looti. "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/difficulties-in-emotion-regulation-scale-ders-2/.

mohammad looti (2026) 'Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/difficulties-in-emotion-regulation-scale-ders-2/.

[1] mohammad looti, "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.

mohammad looti. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.

Related terms:

  1. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)
  2. State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (S- DERS)
  3. Children’s Dual Emotion Regulation Strategy Scale (CDERS)
  4. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA)
  5. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)
  6. Adolescents’ Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire–Extended (AERSQ-E)
  7. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)
  8. Emotion Regulation Strategies During COVID-19 Measure
  9. Bochum Assessment of Avoidance-based Emotion Regulation for Children (BAER-C)
  10. Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA)
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