Psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in a community sample of the Portuguese population

Background: Intrapersonal aspects of emotion regulation have been at the forefront of research, while interpersonal aspects have received less attention. The Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ) was developed to address this issue. However, this scale was neither adapted nor validated for European Portuguese. Aims: The present study aims to adapt the IERQ to European Portuguese and explore the preliminary psychometric properties of the IERQ in a community sample, through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Construct validity was further supported by examining convergent validity with ERQ subscales. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, individuals were recruited online. Self-report questionnaires were used, namely the IERQ and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Results: The four-factor structure was confirmed through CFA. IERQ subscales correlated positively with the dimensions of the ERQ of cognitive reappraisal and correlated negatively with experiential suppression. Conclusions: This preliminary study showed that the IERQ has adequate psychometric properties in a Portuguese sample and supports that this instrument can be used to assess interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in non-clinical samples.