Evaluación de la regulación emocional: indicadores psicométricos del instrumento RPA en población española

Possitive affect has often been neglected throughout research in clinical psychology, with respect to its parallel dimension: Negative affect. This study analyses the psychometric properties of the Response to Positive Affect scale in order for it to be adapted and validated in Spanish population. The scale measures people reaction to the emotions experienced from positive situations (emotion regulation). According to the authors of the scale, it is compossed by three factors: Dampening, Emotion-focused possitive rumination and Self-focused possitive rumination. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were carried out, with 970 participants from general and clinical population, along with analyses about internal consistency, invariance analysis for gender and group (patients/controls) and concurrent validity. The factors obtained were the same as the ones proposed by the creators of the original scale. Furthermore, the values for internal consistency were adecuate, invariance for sex and group (patients/controls), as well as the correlations with the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (sensitivity to punishment and reward). The scale has good psychometric properties. The Response to Positive Affect scale is an instrument that can allow the study and analysis of positive rumination and damping, therefore, the regulation of positive emotional states, complementing other instruments focused on processes as rumination or negative affectivity. It can be particularly useful for the evaluation, follow-up, and planning of the intervention in anxiety, depressive, and bipolar disorders, among others, when analyzing characteristics of emotional regulation.ResumenEn la investigación clínica, el afecto positivo ha recibido menos atención que su dimensión paralela: el afecto nega­tivo. Este trabajo analiza las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Afectividad Positiva (Response to Positive Affect), para su adaptación al castellano y validación en población española. La escala mide las respuestas a las emociones experimentadas ante situaciones positivas (regulación emocional). Según los autores de la escala, está compuesta por tres factores: Amortiguación, Rumia positiva centrada en la emoción y Rumia positiva centrada en la persona. Se llevaron a cabo análisis factoriales exploratorio y confirmatorio, con 970 participantes de población general y clínica, análisis de la consistencia interna, invarianza para sexo y grupo (pa­cientes/controles) y validez concurrente. Se obtuvo la misma estructura factorial planteada por los creadores de la versión original de la escala. Se obtuvieron adecuados valores para la consistencia interna, invarianza para sexo y pacientes/controles, y correlaciones significativas con el cuestionario de salud general y el Cuestionario de Sensibilidad al Castigo y Sensibilidad a la Recompensa de sensibilidad al castigo y a la recompensa. La escala presenta adecuadas propiedades psicométricas. La Escala de Afectividad Positiva es un instrumento que puede permitir el estu­dio y análisis de la rumia positiva y la amortiguación, por tanto, la regulación de los estados emocionales positivos, complementando otros instrumentos centrados en otros procesos como la rumia y la afectividad negativa. Puede ser particularmente útil para la evaluación, seguimiento, y planificación de la intervención ante trastornos de ansie­dad, depresivos y bipolares, entre otros, al evaluar carac­terísticas de regulación emocional en la persona evaluada.AbstractPossitive affect has often been neglected throughout research in clinical psychology, with respect to its parallel dimension: Negative affect. This study analyses the psychometric properties of the Response to Positive Affect scale in order for it to be adapted and validated in Spanish population. The scale measures people reaction to the emotions experienced from positive situations (emotion regulation). According to the authors of the scale, it is compossed by three factors: Dampening, Emotion-focused possitive rumination and Self-focused possitive rumination. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were carried out, with 970 participants from general and clinical population, along with analyses about internal consistency, invariance analysis for gender and group (patients/controls) and concurrent validity. The factors obtained were the same as the ones proposed by the creators of the original scale. Furthermore, the values for internal consistency were adecuate, invariance for sex and group (patients/controls), as well as the correlations with the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (sensitivity to punishment and reward). The scale has good psychometric properties. The Response to Positive Affect scale is an instrument that can allow the study and analysis of positive rumination and damping, therefore, the regulation of positive emotional states, complementing other instruments focused on processes as rumination or negative affectivity. It can be particularly useful for the evaluation, follow-up, and planning of the intervention in anxiety, depressive, and bipolar disorders, among others, when analyzing characteristics of emotional regulation