ArticleJournal of clinical psychology2026
The Psychometric Properties and Clinical Usefulness of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale in Forensic Settings.
Article in Journal of clinical psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a widely used measure of emotion dysregulation across clinical contexts. However, its psychometric properties and clinical utility have not been thoroughly examined in forensic populations. This study evaluated the original 36-item DERS and two short forms, the DERS-16 and the DERS-8, in two independent forensic samples from two different countries: a forensic psychiatric inpatient sample (N = 88) and a prison sample (N = 389).
methodsConfirmatory factor analysis was used to assess factor structure. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω, and construct validity was examined through correlations with aggression, externalizing psychopathology, impulsivity, mindfulness, and alexithymia.
resultsThe original six-factor model showed poor model fit, whereas data-model fit improved for the DERS-16 and DERS-8. The DERS total and subscale scores correlated meaningfully with measures of aggression, externalizing pathology, impulsivity, mindfulness, and alexithymia. However, DERS scores were not significantly associated with habitual use of specific emotion regulation strategies.
conclusionFindings suggest that the DERS-16 and DERS-8 may be preferable to the full 36-item scale in forensic settings, offering promising psychometric properties while minimizing patient burden. Beyond psychometric adequacy, the results provide clinically relevant insights into the feasibility and practical utility of DERS in forensic mental health settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.