Careworkers' Affect Regulation in Youth Residential Care: A Study on the Psychometric Properties of the Affect Regulation Checklist.
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| Title: | Careworkers' Affect Regulation in Youth Residential Care: A Study on the Psychometric Properties of the Affect Regulation Checklist. |
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| Authors: | Santos, Beatriz, Mota, Catarina Pinheiro, Carvalho, Helena, Costa, Mónica, Ferreira, Tiago, Goulter, Natalie, Moretti, Marlene, Matos, Paula Mena |
| Source: | Journal of Child & Family Studies. Jun2025, Vol. 34 Issue 6, p1647-1659. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Emotion regulation, Multitrait multimethod techniques, Child care workers, Research funding, Research methodology evaluation, Research evaluation, Descriptive statistics, Psychometrics, Research, Research methodology, Statistical reliability, Psychology of caregivers, Affect (Psychology), Factor analysis, Residential care, Discriminant analysis |
| Geographic Terms: | Portugal |
| Abstract: | The ability of formal caregivers who work in residential care to regulate their emotions plays an important role in determining the quality of their care. However, there are few instruments to assess affect regulation in this context. This study addresses this gap by providing a preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of the Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC) in a sample of Portuguese child careworkers in residential care settings. The ARC was administered to 212 careworkers working in 21 residential care institutions in the district of Porto/Portugal (M age = 40.99 years, SD = 11.05). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis were used to examine the psychometric properties of ARC. CFA confirmed the three-factor solution proposed by the original authors (suppression; dysregulation; adaptive reflection) and provided evidence of the construct validity of the ARC. IRT analyses showed that all items were moderately to highly discriminant and that some items were more difficult than others. Support was found for the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the ARC. Overall, the ARC is a psychometrically sound approach for assessing careworkers' affect regulation strategies in the residential care context. Highlights: Staff emotion regulation directly affects the quality of their care and should be prioritized in agency evaluations. For professionals working in residential care contexts, suppression can be a healthy strategy for emotional regulation. Item Response Theory showed that some ARC items are more suitable for distressed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The ability of formal caregivers who work in residential care to regulate their emotions plays an important role in determining the quality of their care. However, there are few instruments to assess affect regulation in this context. This study addresses this gap by providing a preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of the Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC) in a sample of Portuguese child careworkers in residential care settings. The ARC was administered to 212 careworkers working in 21 residential care institutions in the district of Porto/Portugal (M age = 40.99 years, SD = 11.05). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis were used to examine the psychometric properties of ARC. CFA confirmed the three-factor solution proposed by the original authors (suppression; dysregulation; adaptive reflection) and provided evidence of the construct validity of the ARC. IRT analyses showed that all items were moderately to highly discriminant and that some items were more difficult than others. Support was found for the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the ARC. Overall, the ARC is a psychometrically sound approach for assessing careworkers' affect regulation strategies in the residential care context. Highlights: Staff emotion regulation directly affects the quality of their care and should be prioritized in agency evaluations. For professionals working in residential care contexts, suppression can be a healthy strategy for emotional regulation. Item Response Theory showed that some ARC items are more suitable for distressed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 10621024 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10826-025-03044-9 |
