Esheref Haxhiu
University of Warsaw, Poland
Title: Adapting the difficulties in emotional regulation scale (DERS) for the Albanian population
Biography
Biography: Esheref Haxhiu
Abstract
Background & Aim: The Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS) is a 36-item self-report scale, designed to assess multiple aspects of emotional dysregulation. These aspects include: an acceptance of emotional responses, difficulties engaging in goals-directed behavior, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and the lack of emotional clarity. The DERS is a new and promising scale, and the previous findings suggest that it has good psychometric properties. The purpose of the present study is to make the Albanian population adapt the DERS scale. Methods: Two independent professional translators have translated the scale from the English version into Albanian, and then the back translation was done from another third translator. After completing the translation process, a sample of 340 high school students (n=340), age 18-19, fulfilled the questionnaire twice in a two-week period. Results: The results reveal that the Albanian version of DERS has good psychometric properties. The internal consistency of the scale in both study phases was shown to be high (α ≥0.85), as well the test-retest reliability (r=0.85). Conclusions: The Albanian version of DERS is a reliable scale for measuring the difficulties in emotional regulation for the respective population.