The revised scale of anger reactions (Dimensions of Anger Reactions — Revised, DAR-R): russian-language adaptation and validation

Context and relevance. The seven-point revised scale for measuring anger reactions (Dimensions of Anger Reactions — Revised, DAR-R) is one of the most common and psychometrically based tools for self-reporting the severity of anger and identifying problematic anger. The objective of this study was to adapt, evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Russian version of the DAR-R scale. Hypothesis. The Russian-language version of the Dimensions of Anger Reactions meets the requirements for reliability and validity, and also meets the criteria of a standardized psychodiagnostic tool. Methods and materials. The study involved 584 respondents (345 women and 239 men, almost half of whom were firefighters, aged 18 to 78 years: M = 27.76; SD = 10.24), the retest sample included 106 people (63 women and 43 men, aged 18 to 74 years: M = 31.22, SD = 12.88). To test the convergent and discriminant validity, the following tools were used: the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS) and the Ch. Spielberger’s State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Results. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed and confirmed a two-factor structure similar to the original author’s DAR-R, combining anger response, that is, the frequency, intensity, duration and hostility of anger, as well as the perceived violation of performance, social relations and health by anger. The technique demonstrated good α Kronbach coefficients, the values of which were 0.81 for the Anger Response subscale, 0.74 for the Anger Impairment subscale and 0.85 for the Anger Reaction scale. Women show higher rates of anger response than men. Conclusions. The study showed that the Russian-language version of the questionnaire has all the necessary psychometric characteristics, which means it can be recommended as a psychodiagnostic tool for measuring the intensity of anger reactions in research and counseling.