title: Measuring regulation in the here and now: The development and validation of the State Emotion Regulation Inventory (SERI).
abstract: The relationship between context and emotion regulation is currently at the center of a burgeoning area of research. Commonly used emotion regulation questionnaires, however, are predominantly trait-based, and insensitive to situational choice of regulatory strategy. The current work describes the development and validation of the State Emotion Regulation Inventory (SERI), a brief measure of situational use of distraction, reappraisal, brooding and acceptance. In Study 1, an initial item pool was constructed, based on commonly used trait-based emotion regulation surveys. Then, the psychometric properties of the items were examined with a group of 181 participants who recalled a saddening autobiographical event, identified a distressing thought it triggered, and then waited for 3 minutes without instruction, as an opportunity to allow for spontaneous emotion regulation. Participants then completed the initial item pool, and other relevant trait-based scales. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a 4-factor solution, corresponding to the 4 regulatory strategies measured in the SERI. The 4 items to exclusively load highest on each factor were selected for the final measure. Assembled subscales correlated with relevant trait-based subscales in the expected directions. In Study 2, another sample of 155 participants completed the same procedure and the new SERI, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the 4-factor structure of this instrument. As a brief, validated instrument, the SERI may be a useful measure for studies of state emotion regulation, in protocols that use repeated measures in a single session, over the course of multiple sessions, or via ecological momentary assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Benjamin A
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0849-5071
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Neta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lustig
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Assis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
authors.forename: Iftah
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yovel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult