A Spanish-Language Version of the Emotion Reactivity Scale: Psychometric Properties, Measurement Invariance, and Criterion Validity in a Large Adolescent Sample
Abstract
Background: The Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) is a widely used self-report measure of the sensitivity, intensity, and persistence of emotional responses. It has been translated and evaluated in Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, and Farsi samples, and has been separately adapted into a brief six-item short form in English. However, no validated Spanish-language version currently exists despite Spanish being the most common non-English language spoken in U.S. schools.
Methods: We provide a Spanish translation of the ERS and evaluate its psychometric properties using data from 522 Spanish-language adolescent respondents and a demographically matched sample of 522 English-language adolescent respondents drawn from a school-based survey. We use multigroup item response theory to test measurement invariance across survey language and regularized differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to identify specific noninvariant items. We evaluate criterion validity through association with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4).
Results: Multigroup item response theory analyses support metric but not scalar invariance across survey languages, with intercept differences identified for four items, none of which appear on the short form. Despite this evidence of differential item functioning, its practical impact is negligible, as adjusted and unadjusted scores are nearly perfectly correlated (r > .99). ERS scores show strong and statistically equivalent criterion validity across language groups in predicting concurrent psychological distress on the PHQ-4.
Conclusions: Both the long and short forms of the Spanish ERS are reliable and criterion-valid measures of emotion reactivity for use with Spanish-speaking adolescents.
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BibTeX
@misc{gilbert2026spanishlanguage,
title = {{A Spanish-Language Version of the Emotion Reactivity Scale: Psychometric Properties, Measurement Invariance, and Criterion Validity in a Large Adolescent Sample}},
author = {Joshua Gilbert and Zachary Himmelsbach and Matthew K. Nock and Nicole R. DeTore and Randi M. Schuster},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/fpzb9_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/fpzb9_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Spanish-Language Version of the Emotion Reactivity Scale: Psychometric Properties, Measurement Invariance, and Criterion Validity in a Large Adolescent Sample
AU - Joshua Gilbert
AU - Zachary Himmelsbach
AU - Matthew K. Nock
AU - Nicole R. DeTore
AU - Randi M. Schuster
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/fpzb9_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/fpzb9_v1/
AB - Background: The Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) is a widely used self-report measure of the sensitivity, intensity, and persistence of emotional responses. It has been translated and evaluated in Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, and Farsi samples, and has been separately adapted into a brief six-item short form in English. However, no validated Spanish-language version currently exists despite Spanish being the most common non-English language spoken in U.S. schools. Methods: We provide a Spanish translation of the ERS and evaluate its psychometric properties using data from 522 Spanish-language adolescent respondents and a demographically matched sample of 522 English-language adolescent respondents drawn from a school-based survey. We use multigroup item response theory to test measurement invariance across survey language and regularized differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to identify specific noninvariant items. We evaluate criterion validity through association with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Results: Multigroup item response theory analyses support metric but not scalar invariance across survey languages, with intercept differences identified for four items, none of which appear on the short form. Despite this evidence of differential item functioning, its practical impact is negligible, as adjusted and unadjusted scores are nearly perfectly correlated (r > .99). ERS scores show strong and statistically equivalent criterion validity across language groups in predicting concurrent psychological distress on the PHQ-4. Conclusions: Both the long and short forms of the Spanish ERS are reliable and criterion-valid measures of emotion reactivity for use with Spanish-speaking adolescents.
ER -