Adaptation and Validation of a Short French Version of the Affective Style Questionnaire

Abstract

Emotion regulation (ER) plays an important role in psychological well-being. Therefore, its valid assessment is a crucial step in the investigation of the interindividual differences linked to effective ER. Adapting and validating a French version of the Affective Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and test its predictive power in detecting mood disorders. We administered to a large sample (1226 participants) a brief (12 items) French version of the ASQ. We tested convergent validity by investigating its links with mindfulness trait and life satisfaction. Moreover, using a machine learning approach, we tested whether ER features could predict the presence of self-reported mood disorders. We demonstrated a good convergent validity by reproducing the original factor structure. We also showed that the adjusting dimension, referring to the ability to flexibly modulate our emotional experience according to contextual demands, was associated with concurrent markers of psychological well-being such as dispositional mindfulness and life satisfaction. Moreover, this strategy was also related to a low probability of subjectively reporting suffering from a mood disorder. Our results highlighted adjusting as an adaptive ER strategy. Practical implications for psychotherapeutic approaches of mood disorders are discussed.