Psychometric Evaluation of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) in Peruvian Psychology Undergraduates: Factor...

Evidence for the original adult Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) in Peruvian university populations remains limited, particularly regarding score comparability across sex. This cross-sectional psychometric study evaluated the factor structure, internal consistency, and sex-related measurement invariance of the original 10-item ERQ and an exploratory nine-item configuration in 414 psychology undergraduates from a private university in Trujillo, Peru. The correlated two-factor ERQ-10 showed a mixed but viable fit (χ²(34) = 84.56, CFI = 0.933, RMSEA = 0.060, 90% CI [0.044, 0.076], SRMR = 0.057), with positive loadings ranging from 0.381 to 0.806. Post hoc exclusion of Item 1 produced a stronger approximate fit (χ²(26) = 46.03, CFI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.043, 90% CI [0.021, 0.063], SRMR = 0.045), but reliability changed negligibly. For the nine-item configuration, full metric invariance was not supported; partial metric, partial scalar, and partial strict invariance were supported after freeing the Item 5 loading across sex. The ERQ-10 therefore remains viable for group-level research in this sample, whereas the alternative configuration should be regarded as a sample-derived hypothesis requiring independent replication, broader samples, and evidence based on external variables.