Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Abstract

Given that Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is associated with problems in emotion regulation, the importance of assessing this construct is widely acknowledged by clinical psychologists and pain specialists. Although the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) is a self-report measure used worldwide, there are no data on its psychometric properties in patients with FMS. This study analyzed the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the CERQ in a sample of 231 patients with FMS. Given that “fibrofog” is one of the most disabling FMS symptoms, in the present study, items in the CERQ were grouped by dimension. This change in item presentation was conceived as an efficient way of facilitating responses as a result of a clear understanding of what the items related to each dimension are attempting to measure. The following battery of measures was administered: the CERQ, the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Four models of the CERQ structure were examined and confirmatory factor analyses supported the original factor model, consisting of nine factors—Self-blame, Acceptance, Rumination, Positive refocusing, Refocus on planning, Positive reappraisal, Putting into perspective, Catastrophizing, and Other-blame. There was minimal overlap between CERQ subscales and their internal consistency was adequate. Correlational and regression analyses supported the construct validity of the CERQ. Our findings indicate that the CERQ (items-grouped version) is a sound instrument for assessing cognitive emotion regulation in patients with FMS.

Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Treatment for Fibromyalgia Based on Pain Neuroscience Education, Exercise Therapy, Psychological Support, and Nature Exposure (NAT-FM): A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Higher scores indicate higher frequency of use of each cognitive strategy. The Spanish version shows adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s α s ranging from 0.77 to 0.93) and acceptable test-retest reliability ( r ranging from 0.60 to 0.85) [ 64 ].…”

Efficacy of a Multicomponent Intervention for Fibromyalgia Based on Pain Neuroscience Education, Exercise Therapy, Psychological Support, and Nature Exposure (NAT-FM): Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Total scores for each dimension range from 2 to 10, with the highest scores indicating the specific cognitive strategy most used. The Spanish version has an adequate internal consistency (α = 0.77 to 0.93) and acceptable test-retest reliability (r = 0.60 to 0.85) for the subscales [46].…”

An Updated Overview of the Neurophysiological and Psychosocial Dimensions of Fibromyalgia – A Call for an Integrative Model

“…[112][113][114] Over time, research has mainly focused on the identification of processes that may negatively influence pain experience and hamper adjustment to FM. These include, among others, pain-specific cognitions (such as pain catastrophizing, [115][116][117][118] negative expectations 119 , and attributions 120 ), specific ways of emotion processing such as alexithymia 121 , and vulnerability to invalidation by others. 122 Remarkably, the same observations apply to general psychological traits and processes that reflect misery and suffering.…”