The Leuven Exeter Dampening Scale (LEDS) to measure dampening appraisals towards positive affect: Psychometric...

Dampening - the tendency to downplay positive feelings - is linked to various psychopathologies, demonstrating transdiagnostic relevance. Most research to date has relied on the dampening subscale of the Responses to Positive Affect Scale (RPA-d; Feldman et al., 2008). However, concerns about its limited content validity, not reflecting clinical complexity, and potential cross-cultural universality issues prompted the development of the Leuven Exeter Dampening Scale (LEDS). Study 1 details scale development in Dutch-speaking undergraduates (N = 308); Studies 2 and 3 further validate it in a Dutch-speaking (N_T1 = 214, N_T2 = 148) and English-speaking UK (N_T1 = 177, N_T2 = 152, N_T3 = 102) adult community sample. Across samples, the LEDS showed excellent internal consistency (αs > .90) and good test-retest reliability (ICCs = .77-.89). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-factor structure, demonstrating structural validity. LEDS scores positively correlated with RPA-d scores, indicating convergent validity. Multiple regressions showed the LEDS to significantly predict concurrent anhedonic/depressive symptoms, beyond age, gender, and negative rumination, supporting its concurrent predictive validity. Even with the RPA-d included as predictor, the LEDS accounted for unique variance in concurrent outcomes, showing incremental validity. Longitudinal analyses, covarying baseline symptoms, provided mixed evidence with predictive and incremental validity only verified in the UK sample. Crucially, the RPA-d never outperformed the LEDS, and mixed prospective findings align with prior inconsistent prospective relations between dampening and symptomatology. Findings support the LEDS as a valid alternative to the RPA-d, with a more comprehensive assessment of general dampening as key strength.