Focus Area: Emotion Dysregulation 

Overview: The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale 36 (DERS-36) is a multidimensional assessment of emotion dysregulation spanning six facets of regulation, with high scores indicating greater difficulty with emotion regulation skills, strategies, and/or processes. 

Total number of items: Thirty Six

Standardized cadence: Variable

Estimated completion time: Three to five minutes

Supported subscales: None-acceptance of emotional responses (NONACCEPT), difficulty engaging in goal-directed behaviors (GOALS), impulse control difficulties (IMPULSE), lack of emotional awareness (AWARENESS), limited access to emotion regulation strategies (STRATEGIES), and lack of emotional clarity (CLARITY).  

Age range: 18+

Scoring and interpretation: This measure does not identify cutoff scores, and an elevated score on the DERS-36 is not synonymous with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder or any other diagnosis. However, raw scores can be compared on a repeated basis (e.g., week-by-week) to detect change in the ability to appropriately regulate emotions throughout treatment. 

Reliability/Validity: Results from a sample of 427 adults found that subscale reliability ranged from Cronbach’s alpha of 0.82 to 0.95, and Cronbach’s alpha for the total score reliability was 0.94.  The DERS-36 has reliability predicted treatment outcome following a naturalistic course of outpatient Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). 

Additional information: The DERS-36 is particularly helpful in measuring skills deficits associated with Borderline Personality Disorder and related mental health conditions that affect one’s ability to effectively regulate emotions. In this way, the DERS-36 can be used as a process measure for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in order to track skills acquisition over the course of treatment.
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