Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ)

Abstract

The Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ) is a self-report measure of the behavioral strategies individuals use to regulate emotions in response to stressful or negative events. The purpose of the present study was to report on the psychometric properties of the Turkish version. The sample was recruited through courses at a semi-private university in Turkey and through social-media announcements. A sample of 320 adults (81.9% females, 18.1% males) with a mean age of 22.03 (SD = 2.73) completed the Turkish translation of the BERQ, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Turkish version replicated the 5-factor structure of the original version; yet, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original model showed an inadequate fit to the present data. Internal consistency coefficients of the subscales ranged between 0.72 and 0.88, and the test-retest reliability of subscales over a 3-week interval ranged from 0.51 to 0.70. As in the original version, we found that actively approaching and seeking social support were more adaptive strategies, whereas withdrawal and ignoring were less adaptive strategies. Results were mixed for the seeking distraction subscale. Additionally, withdrawal significantly predicted future depressive and anxiety symptoms. Overall, our results provide support for the Turkish version of the BERQ as a reliable and valid measure of behavioral emotion regulation strategies.