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Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale

DERS-36
psychologyhealth sciencesLicensed — permission required

A 36-item measure of perceived difficulties across six dimensions of emotion regulation.

Items
36
Response format
5-point frequency scale
Version
Original 36-item DERS
Subscales
6

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Emotion-regulation difficulties were measured with the 36-item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), whose original total score showed high internal consistency (α = .93).

Citing this in a methods section? This scale spans more than one discipline, so the style depends on where you publish — see the APA 7 or Vancouver guides, or compare all six citation styles.

Reliability & validation

notes
Every original subscale had Cronbach's alpha above .80.
Validation population
Undergraduate validation samples (Gratz & Roemer, 2004)
Test–retest
0.88
Cronbach's α
0.93

Subscales

Nonacceptance of Emotional ResponsesDifficulties Engaging in Goal-Directed BehaviorImpulse Control DifficultiesLack of Emotional AwarenessLimited Access to Emotion Regulation StrategiesLack of Emotional Clarity

Known limitations

Later studies have questioned the fit of the original six-factor model, especially the Awareness subscale. Higher scores indicate greater perceived difficulty, not a clinical diagnosis. Confirm reproduction terms before administration.

Original citation

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.

https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94

This instrument is licensed. Folio does not distribute its item wording — obtain permission from the copyright holder before using it in your study.

Questions researchers ask

What does the DERS-36 measure?

A 36-item measure of perceived difficulties across six dimensions of emotion regulation.

How many items does the DERS-36 have?

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36) has 36 items across 6 subscales: Nonacceptance of Emotional Responses, Difficulties Engaging in Goal-Directed Behavior, Impulse Control Difficulties, Lack of Emotional Awareness, Limited Access to Emotion Regulation Strategies, Lack of Emotional Clarity.

Is the DERS-36 free to use?

The DERS-36 is licensed. You must obtain permission from the copyright holder before using it in a study — Folio does not distribute its item wording without that permission.

Is the DERS-36 reliable?

Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.93, test–retest reliability of 0.88. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.

Who developed the DERS-36, and how do I cite it?

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. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94

Permission required

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Library entry verified August 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.