The development and validation of the Emotional Cultivation Scale: An East Asian cultural perspective.

Abstract

Research on emotion regulation in East Asian children and adolescents is limited. One obstacle hindering the development of emotion regulation for East Asian children and adolescents is the lack of a culturally sensitive measure. To fill this gap, we have developed and validated the Emotional Cultivation Scale using samples of Taiwanese children and adolescents. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (n ϭ 341) identified two factors: Cultivating Emotion Strategies and Understanding Emotion Connotations. A confirmatory factor analysis (n ϭ 358) confirmed this two-factor structure. Coefficient ␣s were .69 to .88 for Emotional Cultivation. Convergent validity was evidenced by positive associations with cognitive reappraisal and cognitive flexibility. Discriminant validity was supported by a nonsignificant association with suppression. Concurrent validity was revealed by positive associations with positive affect, basic psychological need satisfaction, gratitude, responsiveness from teachers, responsiveness from parents, and academic self-efficacy. Incremental validity was evidenced by the finding that emotional cultivation significantly accounted for an additional 2 to 20% of the variance in predicting cognitive flexibility, positive affect, basic psychological need satisfaction, gratitude, responsiveness from teachers, responsiveness from parents, and academic self-efficacy above and beyond cognitive reappraisal and suppression. Results from the multigroup analysis further indicated factor loading invariance and validity invariance between boys and girls and between elementary and middle schools. The factor structure was cross-validated by a clinical sample of Taiwanese children and adolescents (N ϭ 161) and their parents in Study 2 (N ϭ 159). The counseling implications were discussed. Public Significance StatementThe current research has provided an East Asian cultural perspective to extend our understanding of the emotion regulation process. Across two studies, a sound psychometric measure of the Emotional Cultivation Scale (ECS) was developed. This scale is not only appropriate for children and adolescents, but can also be a sensitive measure for clinical populations.

Group counseling change process: An adaptive spiral among positive emotions, positive relations, and emotional cultivation/regulation.

“…For our emotion regulation group intervention, increasing psychological needs satisfaction and positive affect also aligns well with goals for emotion regulation for those children and adolescents who have emotional disturbance concerns. Wang et al (2019) reported that psychological needs satisfaction and positive affect were helpful for This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

“…Emotional Cultivation was measured by the Emotional Cultivation Scale (Wang et al, 2019). Emotional cultivation (Nine items) assesses belief reframing, awareness of emotion consequences, action control, and regulating emotions through culturally-appropriate strategies in the East Asian cultural context.…”

“…Fourth, it is also important to recognize that the emotional cultivation training intervention used in this study can enhance subsequent gratitude, need satisfaction, and relationships with teachers, parents, and friends over time. Group leaders can continue to facilitate and cultivate group members' emotion regulation through reframing thoughts, being aware of current emotions and their emotional consequences, controlling negative emotional behaviors, and flexibly using culturally appropriate emotional management strategies (Wang et al, 2019).…”

“…For our emotion regulation group intervention, increasing psychological needs satisfaction and positive affect also aligns well with goals for emotion regulation for those children and adolescents who have emotional disturbance concerns. Wang et al (2019) reported that psychological needs satisfaction and positive affect were helpful for emotion regulation in Taiwanese children and adolescents. Empirically, Brenning et al (2015) showed that perceived maternal autonomy support (one element of psychological need satisfaction) at Time 1 predicted increases in emotional integration and decreases in suppressive regulation at Time 2 for adolescents.…”

Adapting “Color Blindness” to South Korean Attitudes Toward Multicultural Minorities: Scale Development

“…Initial item communalities ranged between .19 and .61, with 17 of the 31 items yielding communalities greater than 0.40. The following criteria were then used for item retention: (a) a factor loading greater than .45, and (b) cross-loadings on other factors not exceeding .30 (Brown, 2006; L.-f. Wang et al, 2019). Of the preliminary 31 items, 16 items met all the criteria.…”