State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – S-DERS
A 21-item self-report state measure of emotion regulation difficulties across four subscales.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – S-DERS was developed by Lavender, J. M., Tull, M. T., DiLillo, D., Messman-Moore, T., & Gratz, K. L. (2017). It is designed to measure State Emotion Dysregulation. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Nonacceptance, Modulate, Awareness, Clarity.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Nonacceptance | 1,4,5,8,12,18,20 | 7 |
| Modulate | 3,9,10,13,15,17,21 | 7 |
| Awareness | 2,6,11,16,19 | 5 |
| Clarity | 7,14 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all, 2 = Somewhat, 3 = Moderately, 4 = Very Much, 5 = Completely.
The scale includes 5 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 21 to 105. Interpretation guidelines:
- Below average difficulties: 21 – 35
- Average difficulties: 36 – 49
- Above average difficulties (90th percentile or higher): 50 – 105
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Adequate reliability.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.