Measuring emotion beliefs: a systematic review

People hold different beliefs about the nature of emotions: some view emotions as valuable and controllable, while others see them as harmful and unchangeable. Evidence suggests that these emotion beliefs are associated with mental health symptoms via their influence on emotion regulation. To explore these beliefs, it is essential to employ valid and reliable measures. This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of existing measures of emotion beliefs and an evaluation of their quality (validity, reliability). A search of seven online databases yielded a total of 5276 citations (after duplicate removal), of which 69 met inclusion criteria and were assessed using the Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies (QuADS) and modified criteria outlined by Halle and Darling-Churchill. The findings of this review serve as a resource for researchers and clinicians seeking emotion belief measures. However, it also identified several areas for advancement in the field, including a need to develop more consistent theoretical frameworks, measures using alternative assessment approaches beyond self-report questionnaires (e.g., vignettes), and measures specifically designed for children and adolescents. There is also an opportunity for more qualitative studies to explore emotion beliefs.