Self-Efficacy in regulating positive and negative emotions : A validation study in Germany

Abstract

Perceived self-efficacy in emotion regulation facilitates various aspects of psychosocial adjustment. The Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy scale (RESE) by Caprara and Gerbino (2001) measures perceived capabilities to express positive emotions (POS) and to manage negative emotions, namely, despondency/distress (DES) and anger/irritation (ANG). The present research investigated the validity of the RESE scale in Germany. Study 1 investigated the factor structure and convergent validity of the scale in a sample of university students. In order to test the generalizability of findings from Study 1, in Study 2 we studied the factor structure, cross-gender invariance, and convergent validity of a slightly revised version of the scale in a sample of parents. The previously found factor structure was successfully replicated in both samples. Partial invariance on the scalar level was confirmed across gender. All self-efficacy subscales were positively correlated with life satisfaction and with reappraisal (a cognitive emotion regulation strategy). Suppression, a strategy of regulating emotional expression, was negatively related to POS. Findings suggest that the RESE scale is a valid instrument to assess emotion regulation self-efficacy in German-speaking samples.