Developing a Self-Regulation Scale for Negative Emotions in the Workplace (SRS-NEW): Exploring the Psychological Onset of New-Type Depression

Introduction: New-type depression (NTD), identified in the 2000s, is characterized by blaming others and not being motivated to work, develops at a young age, and is difficult to treat with antidepressant medications. The onset of NTD is related to the regulation of negative emotions in the workplace. However, as there is no scale to measure this regulatory behavior, this study aimed to develop the Self-Regulation Scale for Negative Emotions in the Workplace (SRS-NEW). Methods: The SRS-NEW, consisting of 38 items, was developed and administered via an Internet survey of 400 Japanese employees working in companies with at least 300 employees. Moreover, scales measuring coping in the workplace and the psychological features of NTD were also administered to test the validity of the SNS-NEW. Results: Factor analysis of the scale was performed, and six theoretically postulated factors were identified. Correlations between the six factors of the SRS-NEW and two other scales showed the validity of the SRS-NEW. Discussion: The results suggest that self-regulation to negative emotions in the workplace is related to the development of NTD. Conclusions: This study developed the SRS-NEW and identified six key factors. We expect that research using the SRS-NEW will further reveal the psychological mechanisms underlying the role of emotion regulation in NTD, which in turn will have clinical implications for discussing the development of prevention and intervention programs for NTD.