Introduction: The study of emotional regulation in university students is of great importance given the negative consequences of stress and mental distress caused by emotional dysregulation. The purpose of the study therefore was to carry out confirmatory factor and invariance analysis of Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale Short Form, DERS-S-SF, in a sample of Peruvian university students. Method: 1013 university students (74.8% women and 25.2% men) from the Lima metropolitan area participated, with an age range of 18-40 years. Participants completed the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-S-SF) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) on a single occasion. Results: The third model with 17 items results generated adequate indices of fit: x[superscript 2]/df = 4.28, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.05, and RMSEA = 0.06, and adequate values in the factor loadings (> 0.50). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess convergent validity with K-10 and generated a significant and direct r (0.731). The omega coefficient ([omega])was used to assess reliability and had values between 0.67 and 0.84 for the DERS dimensions. Insufficient evidence was found to confirm the unidimensionality of the DERS in this study sample. Likewise, it was found that the DRES-S-SF worked in the same way in both sexes. Discussion and conclusions: The original 6-factor structure of the DERS-S-SF was confirmed in a sample of university students with a 17-item model. The study found evidence of the reliability and validity of the DERS-S-SF and provided an equivalent measurement for both sexes in the population studied. [Note: The page range (173-196) shown on the article is incorrect. The correct page range is 171-196.]