Psychometric properties of the interpersonal emotion regulation questionnaire among couples in India

The aim of the present study was to translate the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ) into the Tamil language and examine its psychometric properties in the Indian cultural context. Data were collected from a dyadic sample of 340 married heterosexual couples (N = 680) currently residing in India. The mean age of husbands was 39.57 (SD = 6.10; 26 ≥ range ≤ 58), and the wives’ was 35.33 (SD = 5.72; 23 ≥ range ≤ 54). Descriptive results indicated that husbands and wives reported similar levels of interpersonal emotion regulation. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a 20-item model with four factors—enhancing positive affect, perspective-taking, soothing and social modeling, similar to the original version, fits the data well. Furthermore, the multiple-group analysis indicated robust measurement invariance across gender (husbands vs. wives), family type (joint vs. nuclear) and marriage type (arranged vs. love), indicating that the Tamil version of the IERQ operates similarly across these groups. Besides, the Tamil version of the IERQ showed good convergent and discriminant validity with measures of dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. Implications for research and couples therapy in the Indian cultural context are discussed.