Factor Structure of the Differential Emotions Scale and the Eight State Questionnaire Revisited

Abstract The Differential Emotions Scale (DES-IV) and the Eight State Questionnaire (8SQ) are two separately developed multidimensional instruments purported to index simultaneously a number of fundamental emotional/mood states. The two instruments combined quantify some 20 primary mood states, which. in practice, may provide too complex a picture to be of benefit in many applied and research settings. Attempts to derive higher-order mood-state factors from both the DES-IV and the 8SQ have yielded somewhat inconsistent results. In this paper an attempt was made to resolve this issue by reanalysing data collected from 450 Australian tertiary college students. The results indicated that there are at least four major typological mood-state dimensions within the normal state domain. These higher-order factors include the mood states relating to Extraversion, Neuroticism, Hostility and Arousal-Fatigue.