The parameters such as Richardson numbers or stability parameters are widely used to account for the extra straining effects due to three-dimensionality, curvature, rotation, swirl and others arising in paractical complex flows. Existing expressions for the extra strain in turbulence models such as $k-{epsilon}$ models, however, do not satisfy the tensor invariant condition representing the coordinate indifference. In the present paper, considering the characteristics of both the mean strain rate and the mean vorticity, a new parameter to deal with the extra straining effects is proposed. The new parameter has a simple form and satisfies the tensor invariant condition. A semi-quantitative analysis between the present and previous parameters for several typical complex flows suggests that the newly proposed parameter is more general and adequate in representing the extra straining effects than the previous ad-hoc parameters.