Investigating the Psychometric Properties of the Emotion Regulation Flexibility Questionnaire in the Italian Context.

Abstract

Background: Following the idea that individuals engage with different strategies to regulate their emotional experiences, scholars in the field of psychology have shown increasing interest in the notion of emotion regulation flexibility. Despite growing attention to this construct, validated instruments for assessing individuals' capacity to choose among different emotion regulation strategies effectively are limited, particularly in non-English-speaking contexts. The present study aims to extend the use of the Emotion Regulation Flexibility Questionnaire by providing a validation of the Italian version and supporting its generalisability.

Methods: The Italian Emotion Regulation Flexibility Questionnaire (IT-ERFQ) was included in a cross-sectional study involving N = 887 participants (60.4% female). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, along with tests of measurement invariance across gender and age groups, assessments of internal consistency, and evaluations of external validity.

Results: The IT-ERFQ showed a clear unidimensional structure, good internal reliability, and full measurement invariance across groups. The eight-item Italian version correlated negatively with emotion dysregulation and positively with well-being.

Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence for the psychometric soundness of the IT-ERFQ and support its use in both basic and applied research.