The Measure of Verbally Expressed Emotion: Development and Factor Structure of a Scale Designed to Assess Comfort Expressing Feelings to Others

摘要

Emotional expressiveness, which refers to the extent to which people outwardly display their emotions, is associated with various indices of well-being. This study presents findings on the Measure of Verbally Expressed Emotion (MoVEE), an instrument designed to assess comfort expressing both positive and negative emotions to others. A series of studies is described in this paper: 1) pilot study which included 60 undergraduates (69.4 % female) from a small college, 2) exploratory factor analytic study which included 835 undergraduates (68 % female) from a large university, and 3) confirmatory factor analytic and validity study which included 449 undergraduates (73.3 % female). The initial MoVEE included 57 items assessing comfort expressing seven emotional states; the final MoVEE, supported by both an EFA and a CFA, is a 19-item measure assessing comfort expressing love, happiness, anger, and sadness. Analyses suggest that the MoVEE is a valid measure that may be a useful tool in clinical settings.