The Research Behind the DERS
Grounded in peer-reviewed psychology research with over 20 years of validation studies.
From the Research
"The DERS was developed to assess emotion dysregulation more comprehensively than existing measures. The DERS items were chosen to reflect difficulties within the following dimensions of emotion regulation: (a) awareness and understanding of emotions; (b) acceptance of emotions; (c) the ability to engage in goal-directed behavior, and refrain from impulsive behavior, when experiencing negative emotions; and (d) access to emotion regulation strategies perceived as effective."
— Gratz, K. L. & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional Assessment of Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54.
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a 36-item self-report questionnaire created by psychologists Kim Gratz and Lizabeth Roemer. It measures six distinct ways people can struggle with their emotions, from recognizing feelings to staying in control during distress.
Unlike general "emotional intelligence" measures, the DERS focuses specifically on what happens when things go wrong. It captures the patterns that emerge when negative emotions hit: Do you judge yourself for feeling bad? Can you still function? Do you believe things will improve?
The scale uses a 5-point frequency format (Almost Never to Almost Always), and higher scores mean greater difficulty with emotion regulation. There are no "pass" or "fail" scores. Instead, scores sit on a continuum that researchers compare against population averages.
Psychometric Properties
"The DERS has strong psychometric properties across multiple studies in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Internal consistency for the full scale is consistently excellent, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.93 to 0.95. Subscale internal consistency ranges from generally good to excellent (alpha = 0.80 to 0.92)."
— Summarized from multiple validation studies, including Gratz & Roemer (2004) and NovoPsych Technical Review.
Reference Scores
Score Interpretation Bands
| Score Range | Difficulty Level | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 36-59 | Very Low | Fewer difficulties than most people |
| 60-77 | Low to Average | Typical range for the general population |
| 78-100 | Elevated | Above-average difficulty managing emotions |
| 101-120 | High | Significant difficulties, common in clinical populations |
| 121-180 | Very High | Considerable struggles with emotion regulation |
Bands are based on combined community data (mean ~74, SD ~19) and NovoPsych percentile analysis. Test-retest reliability: r = 0.88 over 4-8 weeks.
The DERS measures six distinct aspects of how people handle their emotions. Each dimension captures a different part of the regulation process.
Reacting to negative emotions with shame, guilt, or anger at yourself for feeling that way.
Difficulty concentrating, getting work done, or focusing on tasks when emotionally upset.
Feeling out of control of your behavior or acting rashly when experiencing strong emotions.
How much you pay attention to, acknowledge, and care about what you are feeling.
Believing nothing will help when upset, or feeling stuck with no way to feel better.
Being unclear, confused, or unable to make sense of what you are actually feeling.
Clinical Relevance
"Research has shown that difficulties in emotion regulation as measured by the DERS may serve as a transdiagnostic risk factor across multiple forms of psychopathology. The scale has demonstrated relationships with borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, depression, and eating disorders."
— Skutch et al. (2019) and Sörman et al. (2022), via NovoPsych review.
DERS vs. Emotional Intelligence Tests
The DERS and Emotional Intelligence (EI) assessments are related but measure different things. EI tests look at your overall ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others. The DERS zooms in on what happens specifically when negative emotions arise: Can you stay in control? Do you judge yourself? Can you still function?
Someone can score well on an EI test (good at reading emotions in social settings) while still scoring high on the DERS (struggling to manage their own distress privately). If you want a broader picture of your emotional skills, taking both assessments gives you complementary perspectives.
Common Questions
A higher score means you reported more difficulty managing your emotions. It is not a judgment or a label. Everyone has some difficulty with emotion regulation at times. What the DERS does is map out where your specific challenges are, so you know what to work on. Difficulties in emotion regulation exist on a continuum and often improve with practice, therapy (especially Dialectical Behavior Therapy), or better coping strategies.
The DERS was created by psychologists Kim Gratz and Lizabeth Roemer in 2004. Their paper, published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, established the 36-item scale with six subscales. It has since become one of the most widely used measures of emotion regulation in psychology, with validated translations in many languages and short-form versions (16-item and 18-item) developed by other research teams.
No. The DERS measures difficulty in emotion regulation, which is a dimension that cuts across many conditions (anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc.), but it does not diagnose any of them. A high score means you have notable challenges in this area, which a professional can explore with you in context. If your results concern you, speaking with a therapist or psychologist is the best next step.
About This Assessment
This page uses the original 36-item DERS, which is freely available for non-commercial, educational use.