Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
DERS-36Permission: Free for research use. Free for non-commercial academic research, with no license fee. Cite the original publication.
A 36-item measure of perceived difficulties across six dimensions of emotion regulation.
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Almost never (0-10%) · Sometimes (11-35%) · About half the time (36-65%) · Most of the time (66-90%) · Almost always (91-100%)
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.0000007455.08539.94Questions 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 free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.
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
Related scales
Library entry verified September 2026. Metadata is provided for reference. Questionnaires are built in Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing, and can be taken to Qualtrics, Google Forms or Microsoft Forms, with their CSV responses brought back for scoring.