The Interpersonal Regulation Interaction Scale (IRIS): A multistudy investigation of receivers’ retrospective evaluations of interpersonal emotion regulation interactions

Recent conceptual and empirical advances have focused on interpersonal dimensions of emotion regulation and, more specifically, to the features of attempted support transactions that shape the outcomes of enacted support. We conducted 2 autobiographical recall studies to investigate receivers' evaluations of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation interactions, to ascertain the number of dimensions required to capture variation in those evaluations, and then to examine associations of those dimensions with perceived benefits of the interactions. To do so, we developed a new questionnaire, the Interpersonal Regulation Interaction Scale (IRIS). In Study 1 (n = 390), an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the IRIS yielded 4 dimensions, which we labeled responsiveness, hostility, cognitive support, and physical presence. Each dimension was uniquely associated with perceived benefits of receiving interpersonal emotion regulation. In Study 2, we collected multiple, diverse samples (ns = 199-895) and found support for the replicability and generalizability of key findings from Study 1, including the factor structure and associations with perceived benefits. In summary, across 2 studies and multiple, diverse samples, we identified 4 conceptually and practically important dimensions of receivers' evaluations of interpersonal emotion regulation interactions and developed a brief measure that taps interaction variability in these dimensions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).