Brief Description
The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) is a self-report measure of an individual’s ability to tolerate negative emotional states. It is a multidimensional scale designed to capture four core facets of distress tolerance:
1. An individual’s perceived ability to tolerate emotional distress (tolerance)
2. Subjective appraisal of distress regarding whether the distress is seen as acceptable or shameful (appraisal)
3. The level of attention absorbed by distressing emotions (absorption)
4. Efforts taken to alleviate the distress (regulation).
The DTS was developed to evaluate the perceived ability of individuals to experience and endure negative emotional states, and to assess the capacity individuals have to experience and withstand negative psychological states. Respondents are asked to think about times they felt upset and indicate the item that best describes their beliefs about feeling distressed or upset on average (e.g., “Feeling distressed or upset is unbearable to me”) on a scale from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
15
Age Range for Administration
While not indicated, this measure has been validated for use with adults and youth as young as 10.
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No standardized frequency; recommend administering every other week or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The DTS consists of 15 items and is scored on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (“Strongly Agree”) to 5 (“Strongly Disagree”). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 15 to 75; higher scores are associated with greater levels of distress tolerance (i.e., ability to tolerate emotional distress). Note, Item 6, is reverse-scored. A higher-order distress tolerance score is calculated by averaging the four subscale mean scores. See table below for subscales and item numbers.
Subscale | Item numbers |
Tolerance | 1, 3, 5 |
Absorption | 2, 4, 15 |
Appraisal | 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Regulation | 8, 13, 14 |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 1-3 minutes
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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