What is it about?

Emotions can be tough to manage, especially as we get older. Traditional ways of measuring how well someone controls their emotions can be lengthy and tiring. We have simplified this by shortening a popular questionnaire from 16 questions to just 8. By studying a group of older adults in Portugal, we found that our shorter version is just as accurate and reliable as the longer one. This makes it easier for healthcare professionals to understand how well older individuals are coping emotionally, which is crucial for guiding treatment and support.

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Why is it important?

What sets our study apart is its focus on older adults, a population often overlooked in emotion regulation research. Existing measures, like the 36 and 16-item Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale, were not explicitly designed for this demographic or rigorously tested for suitability. This is a crucial gap, given that older adults may experience unique emotional challenges associated with aging, such as coping with loneliness, health issues, or loss. By rigorously validating the shortened DERS-8, we have provided healthcare professionals with a more efficient, yet equally reliable, tool for assessing emotional well-being in older adults. This is particularly timely as the global population is aging, and there is an increased focus on mental health.

Perspectives

Publishing this research has been incredibly rewarding for me as an investigator and an advocate for mental health in aging populations. The journey of this study has further solidified my belief in the importance of accessible mental health assessments for older individuals. Collaborating with a skilled team has enriched the work, and together, we have made meaningful strides in streamlining a crucial area of mental health evaluation. More than anything, I hope this paper serves as a valuable resource for clinicians and catalyzes additional research to foster mental well-being in our aging population.

Prof. Helena Amaral Espírito Santo
Instituto Superior Miguel Torga

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Emotion dysregulation in older people: validity and reliability of an 8-item version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Aging & Mental Health, September 2023, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2260329.
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