Assessing Emotion Regulation Difficulties Across Negative and Positive Emotions: Psychometric Properties and Clinical Applications of the Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory in the Chinese Context

Background: Abnormalities of regulating positive and negative emotion have been documented in patients with mental disorders. Valid and reliable psychological instruments for measuring emotion regulation across different valences are needed. The Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI) is a 32-item self-report measure recently developed to compressively assess emotion regulation ability across both positive and negative valences. Purpose: This study aimed to validate the Chinese PERCI in a large non-clinical sample and examine the clinical utility in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: The Chinese PERCI was administered to 1090 Chinese participants (mean age = 20.64 years, 773 females). The factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, concurrent validity, and predictive validity were examined. Moreover, a MDD group (n = 50) and a matched healthy control group (n = 50) were recruited. Group comparisons and the linear discriminant analysis were conducted to assess the clinical relevance of the PERCI. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the intended eight-factor structure of the PERCI in the Chinese population. The PERCI showed high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, as well as good convergent and concurrent validity. The MDD group had significantly higher PERCI scores than the healthy control group. Linear discriminant function comprised of the eight factors successfully distinguish patients with MDD from their matched controls. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the PERCI is a valid and reliable instrument to compressively measure emotion regulation across positive and negative valences in the general Chinese population and patients with depression.