Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA)

Abstract

The Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA; Fombouchet, Lannegrand, & Lucenet, 2023) is an inventory/questionnaire designed to assess emotion regulation (ER) strategies and abilities in adolescents within three specific emotion-eliciting situations: sadness, fear, and anger. The CERSA was developed to measure both extrinsic and intrinsic processes involved in monitoring, evaluating, and modifying emotional reactions. Its content generation was informed by existing contextualized instruments, such as the Negative Emotion Regulation Inventory (NERI; Zimmermann & Iwanski, 2014). An 81-item version of the CERSA was evaluated in a French sample of middle and high school students, with reported results on its factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Keywords

Emotion Regulation Strategies, Abilities, Adolescents, Distraction, Reappraisal, Rumination, Expressive Suppression, Support Seeking, Controlling Experience, Dysregulation, Developmental Measures, Emotional Regulation, Adolescent Characteristics

Authors

Fombouchet, Yoann; Lannegrand, Lyda; Lucenet, Joanna

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Purpose

The survey aims to assess emotion regulation (ER) strategies and abilities in adolescents across three specific emotional contexts: sadness, fear, and anger.

Validity

Construct Validity: CERSA strategies and abilities demonstrated relationships with strategies measured by the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ; Garnefski et al., 2001) across all situations, with some variations in effect sizes.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The internal consistency of the CERSA was found to be good to excellent. Specifically, for sadness situations, the omega (ω) coefficient ranged from .827 to .916. For fear situations, ω ranged from .830 to .892. For anger situations, ω ranged from .830 to .908.

Factor Analysis

Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were conducted for each emotional situation to test the hypothesized seven-factor structure. After the removal of one item from the distraction factor, this model demonstrated a good fit for all three situations.

• Sadness: χ²(303) = 764.865, p < .001, χ²/df = 2.524, CFI = .955, RMSEA = .047 [.042–.051], TLI = .950, and SRMR = .049.

• Fear: χ²(303) = 778.494, p < .001, χ²/df = 2.569, CFI = .952, RMSEA = .048 [.044–.052], TLI = .947, and SRMR = .049.

• Anger: χ²(303) = 684.902, p < .001, χ²/df = 2.260, CFI = .962, RMSEA = .044 [.040–.048], TLI = .957, and SRMR = .046.

Measurement Invariance: Metric, scalar, and strict invariance models exhibited acceptable criteria within each situation, indicating that loadings, intercepts, and residuals were invariant across gender.

Instrument: Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA)

• Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

• Format: The CERSA is administered via paper. After each of the three presented situations (sadness, fear, and anger), adolescents are asked to indicate if they have experienced it on a 3-point Likert-type scale (never, once, multiple times). The intensity of the experienced emotion for each situation is measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale (from 1 ‘not at all’ to 7 ‘really intense’). Each strategy item is rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale (from 1 ‘Not at all like that’ to 7 ‘Totally like that’), and each ability item is measured on a separate 7-point Likert-type scale (from 1 ‘Not like me at all’ to 7 ‘Totally like me’).

• Language Available: French

• Language Present: English; French

• Population Group: Human (Male; Female)

• Age Group: Childhood (birth-12 yrs); School Age (6-12 yrs); Adolescence (13-17 yrs); Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs).

• Population Details: The study population consisted of middle and high school students aged 12-19 from France.

• Test Methodology: Test Validity, Construct Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Measurement Invariance.

Keywords

Emotion Regulation Strategies, Abilities, Adolescents, Distraction, Reappraisal, Rumination, Expressive Suppression, Support Seeking, Controlling Experience, Dysregulation.

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Authors

• Fombouchet, Yoann

  • Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3018-6331

  • Affiliation: Univ. Bordeaux, UR 4139, LabPsy

  • Email address: [email protected]

  • Correspondence Address: University of Bordeaux, UR 4139, Laboratory of Psychology, 3ter place de la Victoire, Bordeaux, France, F-33076

• Lannegrand, Lyda

  • Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6388-4806

  • Affiliation: Univ. Bordeaux, UR 4139, LabPsy

• Lucenet, Joanna

  • Affiliation: Univ. Bordeaux, UR 4139, LabPsy

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

• Fee: No

• Test Year: 2023

References

Fombouchet, Y., Lannegrand, L., & Lucenet, J. (2023). The Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA): How does emotion regulation vary according to context? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41(3), 306–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12450

Items of the Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA)

The Contextualized Emotion Regulation Survey for Adolescents (CERSA) consists of 81 items.

Subscales:

• Distraction

• Reappraisal

• Expressive suppression

• Support seeking

• Rumination

• Controlling experience

• Dysregulation