Emotions at the surface: A validation study of the emotional reactivity scale for the Portuguese population

Background: Emotional reactivity is associated with exhibiting intense and prolonged affective responses to several stimuli, which is related to an increased likelihood of experiencing psychopathological symptoms. Objective: To translate and validate the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS) to Portuguese by studying its psychometric qualities, confirmatory factor analysis, temporal stability, and convergent and divergent validity. Methods: In this study participated 402 adults from the general population, 275 women and 127 men, with a mean of 40.01 years old (SD = 10.30). The convenience sample was recruited online, and participants completed self-report questionnaires. Results: The original models of the ERS were tested and the unidimensional 7-item version was the one with better statistical fit (RMSEA = 0.08; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.95; SRMR = 0.03). The total ERS showed positive correlations with borderline personality traits, depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms and negative correlations with quality of life, sustaining convergent and divergent validity. Considering internal consistency, the 7-item ERS version presented a Cronbach's alpha of.91. Temporal stability was supported by the strong correlation between the first and second moments of completing the ERS within a 4-week interval. Females presented higher emotional reactivity scores than males, and there was no significant relationship between the ERS and age. Conclusions: The Portuguese version of the ERS seems to be a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating emotional reactivity. This is relevant at a clinical and research level because this instrument allows the early identification of the predisposition to feel emotions more intensely, which is related to an increased likelihood of experiencing psychopathological symptoms.