The Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ)

Introduction: Cognitive emotion regulation plays an important role in understanding the behavioral and emotional correlates of stress and negative affective states. The aim of the present study was to develop a Persian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P) and to examine its psychometric properties.
Method: The English version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) was translated and back-translated and then administered to 420 (200 females) students of Tehran universities, with age ranged from 18 to 32. The reliability of Persian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P) was assessed via internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The validity of this questionnaire was assessed through the principal component analysis using Varimax-rotation, correlations between subscales, and criterion validity.
Results: Results showed that nine subscales of Persian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P) possessed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0/76 to 0/92). Item scores and total scores of the corresponding subscales correlated significantly (r=0/46 to r=0/75) and the test-retest correlation coefficient values (0/51 to 0/77) suggested that CERQ-P is stable. Results of principal component analysis supported the original CERQ nine factors model that explained 74% of the variance. The degree of interrelations among the subscales was partly high (0/32 to 0/67). Finally, according to criterion validity, CERQ-P subscales were specially associated with symptoms of depression.
Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate that the Persian version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P) is reliable and valid in the population of Tehran universities' students. It is also a suitable instrument to use in research and clinical situations.