Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Shortened Versions in Dutch Speaking Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Most studies on the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) were done in adolescents and adults. The scarce studies in older adults were mainly limited to associations of CERQ scales with internalising symptoms and wellbeing. Only one study explored the underlying factor structure in Spanish older adults and concluded that only a 27 item CERQ version showed adequate fit when tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The present study analyses the psychometric properties of all three versions of the CERQ in a sample of 451 community-dwelling older adults: the original 36 item CERQ, the short 18 item CERQ developed by the original authors and a Spanish 27 item CERQ version. Because gender differences among strategies used have been reported, the present study examined and provided first evidence for the gender invariance of the CERQ structure. Moreover, cognitive emotion regulation strategies correlated like hypothesized with clinical symptoms in general, and behavioural inhibition and activation systems and coping styles. The nomological net was highly similar for the original CERQ and shortened versions. The shortened versions of the CERQ consequently can be viable alternatives to the CERQ in settings where short assessment instruments are needed.