Development of an emotional processing scale

The objective of this study was to report on the development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of an emotional processing scale, a 38-item self-report questionnaire designed to identify emotional processing styles and deficits.

An initial item pool derived from a conceptual model and clinical observations was piloted on clinical and community samples (n=150). The resulting 45-item scale was administered to patients with psychological problems, psychosomatic disorders, and physical disease, and to healthy individuals (n=460). Exploratory factor analysis was used to explore the underlying factor structure.

Maximum likelihood factor analysis yielded an eight-factor solution relating to styles of emotional experience (Lack of Attunement, Discordant, and Externalized), mechanisms controlling the experience and expression of emotions (Suppression, Dissociation, Avoidance, and Uncontrolled), and signs of inadequate processing (Intrusion). Internal reliability was moderate to high for six of eight factors. Preliminary findings suggested satisfactory convergent validity.

Overall, the psychometric properties of this scale appear promising. Work is in progress to refine the scale by incorporating additional items and by conducting further psychometric evaluations on new samples.