Self-efficacy in retrieving positive emotional experience and using humor. A validation study of a new instrument in three countries

Recent research has pointed to the benefits of positive emotions and their appropriate modulation in buffering the impact of negative experience, and in promoting well-being. Two studies examined the psychometric properties of a new scale that was designed to assess perceived self-efficacy in using memories of positive emotional experiences and humor to face challenges and to cope with stressful experiences. In the first study, we examined the factor structure and internal validity of two scales in youths from the United States (N = 1277), Italy (N = 363), and Spain (N=223). In the second study, we examined correlations of the two scales with positive affect, as well as other indicators of well-being and adjustment in the three countries (U.S.:N=499; Italian and Spanish samples of Study 1). The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported two distinct factors and showed acceptable partial invariance of the scales across countries. Correlations supported the scales’construct and discriminant validity. Overall, the findings corroborated the psychometric properties of the two scales and the view of retrieval of positive emotional experiences and humor as distinct self-regulatory strategies.