(PS9-1) Factor Structure and Validity of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Parent Report Version in a High Acuity Adolescent Inpatient Sample

Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic factor that underlies many acute mental health concerns in adolescents. Although measures of adolescent emotion dysregulation often rely on self-reports, caregivers can also provide meaningful perspectives on this aspect of youth symptoms. Additionally, in high acuity settings, self-report measures may be challenging to gather for some youth. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is an established measure of emotion dysregulation for adolescents. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Parent Report (DERS-P) has been previously validated in online samples of parents of youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. However, the validity and utility of the DERS-P has not been explored in acute mental health settings. The current study examines psychometrics and validity of the DERS-P in an adolescent inpatient sample. 

The present sample included 827 caregivers (68.5% biological parents) of racially diverse youth who were presenting to an adolescent inpatient facility for an acute mental health crisis. All caregivers were asked to complete the DERS-P alongside other parent-report and youth-report measures at intake. We conducted an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with the full 36 item scale using direct oblimin rotation. Eigenvalues above 1 and Scree Plots were used to identify the number of meaningful factors. A seven factor model, which explained 65.90% of the total variance, was supported, with factors representing Impulse Control, Nonacceptance of Emotions, Lack of Emotional Awareness, Difficulty Returning to Baseline, Lack of Emotional Clarity, Difficulty Engaging in Goal-Directed Behavior, and Lack of Emotion Regulation Strategies.

In order to compare these results with previously identified factor structures, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was also performed using the original six-factor structure (Gratz and Roemer, 2004). Model fit using this factor structure was not adequate (CFI = .81, TLI = .78, RMSEA = .07) and elimination of the Awareness subscale, which has improved model fit in some previous research, did not resolve the model fit concerns (CFI = .83, TLI = .80, RMSEA = .08). These findings suggest that the underlying factor structure of the parent-report version of the scale is somewhat different from the self-report scale, although identified factors were conceptually similar.

The DERS-P was positively correlated with ratings of Functional Impairment, r(804) = .26, p < .001 but not correlated with youth self-report on the DERS Short Form, r(331) = -.04, p = .53, suggesting that caregiver report may offer added value in assessing youth mental health. Implications for assessing emotion dysregulation with multiple informants in acute care settings are discussed.