Psychometric properties of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in a Mexican sample and their correlation with empathy and alexithymia

Abstract

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) measures the use of two emotional regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Although widely used, there is no description of the psychometric properties of the ERQ and its correlations with alexithymia and empathy in a Mexican sample. We examine the psychometric properties of the ERQ in a Mexican sample (N = 792) assessing its correlations with alexithymia and empathy utilizing the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the two-factor model. Each factor showed acceptable levels of Cronbach’s alpha reliability scores. Cognitive reappraisal scores correlated negatively with alexithymia and positively with higher empathy measures, while expressive suppression correlated positively with alexithymia and personal distress, and negatively with cognitive empathy scales and empathic concern. The ERQ has strong psychometric properties in a Mexican sample and can be applied in a confident manner in conjunction with other tests to complement the assessment of affective traits. In addition, considering previous suggestions regarding the relation between emotion regulation strategies and different components of the empathic response, the correlations between empathy measures and the emotional regulation strategies shown in this study opens a pathway to further research such interactions.

Keywords

• Emotion regulation
• alexithymia
• empathy
• cognitive reappraisal
• expressive suppression