The Brief Emotion Dysregulation Scale (BEDS): Development, validation, and implications for use

Emotion dysregulation is a multi-component and transdiagnostic construct present in many types of psychopathology. Screening for the experience of emotion dysregulation will be crucial in research and clinical settings to investigate its role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of psychiatric problems. We developed the 8-item Brief Emotion Dysregulation Scale (BEDS) for screening purposes to broadly capture the experience of emotion dysregulation. Samples 1 (N=792) and 2 (N=662) included college students who completed the BEDS, and Sample 3 (N=231) included college students who completed the BEDS plus measures of related constructs. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a one-factor solution was appropriate and provided adequate model fit, and correlations demonstrated good convergent and criterion validity. This study provides preliminary evidence for the use of the BEDS for emotion dysregulation screening, and future work should examine its validity in clinical samples.