中華心理衛生協會

Purpose: Research on emotion regulation has shifted to focus on the influence of context and the ways in which emotions may be regulated interpersonally. However, prior theories of interpersonal emotion regulation failed to predict the effectiveness of interpersonal regulation. In response, researchers constructed a model of interpersonal emotion regulation in romantic relationships (Ho & Yeh, 2023). This model describes interpersonal emotion regulation as a 4-stage process and conceptualizes the interactions between partners in each stage as congruence. The congruence from each stage carries over to the next. The cumulative level of congruence determines whether the overall emotion regulation leads to success or failure. Based on this model, we developed a scale to assess the congruence of emotional regulation in romantic relationships and examined its reliability and validity. Methods: Study 1 involved 122 participants in romantic relationships who completed the initial draft of the congruence scale and related scales. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis resulted in a refined 19-item scale. Study 2 involved a new set of 108 couples (dating or married) who completed the revised items. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to establish a formal 14-item, 4-stage scale. Results: The CFA indicated that the fitness of a 4-stage structure was better than a 3-stage structure, which corresponds to the theory. Overall, the congruence score was positively associated with an individual's well-being, romantic relationship satisfaction, and positive shared emotions in the relationship, and negatively associated with levels of depression. Using a new dataset, in Study 2, we compared the congruence scores as evaluated by their partner and by themselves. Self-reported congruence scores predicted individual and relationship adjustment better than partner-reported scores. We also compared the congruence score with the score from an existing scale measuring interpersonal emotion regulation efficiency. The congruence score showed incremental validity in predicting female participants' romantic relationship satisfaction. For male participants, the congruence score had an incremental effect on predicting their stress level and positivity resonance. Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM) analysis showed a consistent actor effect in the congruence score in predicting both the individual's adjustment and relationship adjustment. Partner effects only appeared when predicting relationship adjustment. Conclusion: The congruence of emotional regulation in romantic relationships scale showed decent reliability and validity. It can be used to study emotional interactions in romantic relationships. Furthermore, it may assist psychologists in identifying potential issues during couples' therapy.