1 - (SYM 14) Do Emotion Regulation Processes Vary by Gender or Culture?

Emotion regulation (ER) is a key transdiagnostic mechanism targeted in CBT for mental health. Yet, most of what we know about ER comes from research conducted on WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic) populations. Before we can confidently apply CBT strategies globally, we need to ensure that the measures we rely on to evaluate CBT mechanisms like ER are equivalent across cultural contexts.

The present study examined measurement equivalence of three widely used ER measures across gender and across American (n = 123) and Indian (n = 121) participants (M_age = 36.60). Using cross-cultural confirmatory factor analysis, we tested whether the latent structures of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS-10), and Acceptance subscale of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-AS) were consistent.

Configural equivalence was established across both cultural groups for all three ER measures, confirming their basic factor structures were similar. While the RRS-10 showed weak invariance across cultures, the ERQ and FFMQ-AS required partial invariance adjustments. Ultimately, all measures met criteria for Level 2 strict cross-cultural invariance. Across gender, full invariance was found for all measures except the FFMQ-AS.

These findings suggest the structure of ER processes are largely consistent across American and Indian populations, allowing meaningful comparisons and cautious application cross-culturally. Some exceptions highlight the need for further research to refine ER measures for global applicability across ensuring diverse populations.