Factorial invariance of the Emotion-Dysregulation-Scale for Canadian and German treatment-seeking adults with borderline personality disorder, major depression or substance dependence

Abstract A deficit in emotion regulation is thought to be a trans-diagnostic factor of several mental disorders and is mostly assessed by using self-report measures. Comparing values and results cross-nationally presupposes that these scores are based on the invariance of psychometric properties. The present study aims to compare the psychometric properties and the factorial invariance of the Emotional-Dysregulation-Scale (ED-Scale) cross-nationally. Analyses were based on data of treatment-seeking Canadian and German clinical samples ( n  = 144; n  = 115). They were diagnosed using structured clinical interviews and completed self-report measures. We calculated reliability and validity indices. In order to determine the factorial invariance (configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance), we conducted several multi-group confirmatory factor analyses. For both samples, Cronbach’s α s proved to be excellent. Convergent, divergent and discriminant validity were supported. Comparing increasingly stringent models, tests of measurement invariance indicated at least partial measurement invariance . These findings suggest that the ED-Scale operates in a similar fashion among English and German-speaking clinical samples. Therefore, we conclude that the psychometric properties of the ED-Scale are appropriate and that results can be compared cross-nationally. Future research should examine the measurement invariance in different cultures and ethnic minority groups.