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The Psychometric Properties of a Portuguese Version of the Trait-Meta Mood Scale: an Attachment Framework

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Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS). The TMMS is a self-report measure that assesses stable individual differences in the way people attend, discriminate, and repair their mood and emotions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted in a sample of 1070 Portuguese university students, aged 17–30 years. Attachment, coping and rumination measures were used to establish construct validity, and internal consistency was also tested. The CFA failed to gather support for the original three-factor structure. Results suggested that a four-factor structure, including 26 items tapping suppression, clarity, repair, and difficulties in defensive repression provided the best fit to the data. The four subscales evidenced good internal consistency. In addition, concurrent validity with attachment, coping, and rumination variables was determined. This four-factor structure provided a valid and reliable measure to assess emotion regulation and is proposed to add some comprehensive value to the assessment of emotion regulation under an information-processing and attachment framework.

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Funding

This study was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (PTDC/PSI/65416/2006). No competing or conflict of interests to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Education, and Sports, Lusófona University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Joana Cabral & Diogo Lamela

  2. Centre for Research in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Autónoma University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Tânia Brandão

  3. Center for Psychology and Faculty of Psychology and Education Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Paula Mena Matos

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  1. Joana Cabral
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  2. Tânia Brandão
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  4. Paula Mena Matos
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Correspondence to Joana Cabral or Paula Mena Matos.

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First author has received research grants Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).

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Joana Cabral, Tânia Brandão, Diogo Lamela and Paula Mena Matos declare that have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Cabral, J., Brandão, T., Lamela, D. et al. The Psychometric Properties of a Portuguese Version of the Trait-Meta Mood Scale: an Attachment Framework. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 43, 162–173 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-020-09817-4

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