How I feel: a self-report measure of emotional arousal and regulation for children

Psychol Assess. 2003 Sep;15(3):399-412. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.15.3.399.

Abstract

This article details the development and preliminary validation of a multidimensional self-report measure of emotion for 8- to 12-year-old children--the How I Feel (HIF). Item generation and selection occurred via 2 pilot administrations (ns = 250 and 378, respectively). Ten experts provided data on content validity. Exploratory factor analysis and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis with samples of 406, 524, 349, and 349 3rd-through 6th-grade children supported a 3-factor model, including the frequency and intensity of (a) positive emotion, (b) negative emotion, and (c) positive and negative emotion control. Results showed moderate longitudinal stability for 120 children over 2 years. Concurrent validity was established. The HIF can be useful in understanding the interplay between arousal and control in social-emotional adjustment in school-age children.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological / physiology
  • Adolescent
  • Age Distribution
  • Arousal / physiology*
  • Child
  • Emotions / physiology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Psychological
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self-Assessment*
  • Sex Distribution