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Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Fantasizing (ERQ-F) - Copy of

Questionnaire and Scoring Instructions

Method · May 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23078.04165

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David Preece Rodrigo Becerra

Curtin University University of Western Australia
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Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University
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Name: Date:

Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Fantasizing (ERQ-F)

Preece, Becerra, Robinson, Allan, Boyes, Chen, Hasking, & Gross

This questionnaire asks about how you control (that is, regulate and manage) your emotions.
For each item, please answer using the scale provided.

Strongly Strongly
--- --- Neutral --- ---
disagree agree

When I want to feel less negative emotion

1 (such as sadness or anger), I daydream or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
imagine myself in a better time and place.

When I want to feel more positive emotion

(such as joy or amusement), I fantasize
2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
about fantastic or unreal things (e.g.,
winning a million dollars or being famous).

When I want to feel less negative emotion, I

3 think about a daydream or 'fantasy world' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
where my problems are gone.

When I want to feel more positive emotion,

4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I daydream about the perfect future.

When I want to feel less negative emotion, I

5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
focus on a daydream or fantasy in my head.

When I want to feel more positive emotion,

6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I try to ‘get lost’ in a daydream or fantasy.
 ERQ-F Description and Scoring Instructions
The ERQ-F (Preece et al., 2020) is a 6-item self-report measure of the extent to which people
habitually use daydreaming or fantasizing as a strategy to regulate their emotions. It is based
on the same instruction/item format as Gross and John’s (2003) widely used Emotion
Regulation Questionnaire (a measure of two other emotion regulation strategies, cognitive
reappraisal and expressive suppression). For more information about the theoretical rationale
and development of the ERQ-F, see the method section of Preece et al. (2020).
A confirmatory factor analysis of the ERQ-F items in the original development sample of
N=508 USA adults (Preece et al., 2020) supported its factorial validity. All items loaded well
on a single general factor (factor loadings = .73–.92) and this intended one-factor solution was
a good fit for the data (e.g., CFI = .99, SRMR = .02, RMSEA = .08). The ERQ-F total score
had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .93) and displayed good concurrent validity
in terms of correlating with established markers of general daydreaming frequency
(Daydreaming Frequency Scale; r = .50, p < .001).

Scoring and Interpretation

ERQ-F items are answered on a 7-point Likert scale (1-7), with higher scores indicating higher
usage of daydreaming as an emotion regulation strategy. To score the ERQ-F, sum all six items
into a total scale score; this represents an overall marker of the extent to which people use
daydreaming or fantasizing to regulate their emotions.
To aid score interpretation, descriptive statistics are provided below for ERQ-F scores in a
normative sample of 508 USA general community adults (Preece et al., 2020):
Standard
Cronbach’s
Mean (M) Deviation Range Skew Kurtosis
α
(SD)
24.37 10.28 6–42 −.18 −.82 .93

We interpret ERQ-F scores in the following way:

• Scores 1SD or more above the mean = “high usage of daydreaming/fantasizing to regulate
emotions”
• Scores less than 1SD from the mean = “average usage of daydreaming/fantasizing to
regulate emotions”
• Scores 1SD or more below the mean = “low usage of daydreaming/fantasizing to regulate
emotions”

References
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes:
implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 85, 348.
Preece, D. A., Becerra, R., Robinson, K., Allan, A., Boyes, M., Chen, W., Hasking, P., &
Gross, J. J. (2020). What is alexithymia? Using factor analysis to establish its latent structure
and relationship with fantasizing and emotional reactivity. Journal of Personality, 88, 1162-
1176.

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