Lack of Construct Validity and Item-Content Overlap in the Assessment of Romantic Relationship Quality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blandine Ribotta ◽  
Miguel Alejandro A. Silan ◽  
Olivier Dujols ◽  
Ronan Bellemin ◽  
Hans IJzerman

Central to interventions to improve the quality of romantic relationships is its measurement. Yet, to what degree is the concept of relationship quality well-defined, and, importantly, well-measured? In the present article, the authors conducted a comprehensive search of instruments measuring relationship quality in ProQuest, Web of Science, and Scopus finding a total of 599 scales, with 26 meeting our definition of romantic relationship quality. When the authors investigated the 26 scales’ overlap of item-content, they identified 25 distinct categories among 754 items (with our database of items on the OSF: https://osf.io/v964p/). The mean overlap between scales was weak (Jaccard Index correlation coefficient = 0.39), indicating that these scales were very heterogeneous. The authors then assessed to what extent researchers reported internal validity in 43 scale development-validation articles. They found that Cronbach’s Alpha was most often reported (in 91% of the articles). Other aspects were reported far less often, with 55% reporting exploratory factor analyses, 26% reporting confirmatory factor analyses, 23% reporting test-retest reliability, 7% reporting measurement invariance. The heterogeneity of measures and lack of reported general validity of romantic relationship quality points to the need for concept-driven work on the assessment of romantic relationship quality.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Arzu Araz ◽  
Duygu Güngör ◽  
Eda Aşçı

Background: The present study investigates the reliability and validity of the Positive–Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) scale in Turkey. This study aims to test different factorial models including orthogonal factors model, correlated factors model, one-factor model, and bifactor model. Methods: In order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, two studies were performed. The first was carried out with emerging adults (university students) who were in a romantic relationship (148 females, 43 males, and 2 unknown) and had the main purpose to examine the structure validity of the measurement tool in the Turkish sample with an exploratory analysis. Study 2 was performed online with 513 married adults (359 females, 149 males, and 5 unknown); confirmatory findings and criterion validity studies were added. Results: Exploratory factor analyses revealed that relationship quality had a two-factor structure and that there was also a negative relationship between the factors. Confirmatory factor analyses on the married sample showed that the bi-factor model provided evidence for the multidimensional nature of the scale. Both studies demonstrated high internal consistency. Conclusion: There is evidence for reliability and validity in the Turkish version of the PN-RQ scale to measure both positive and negative aspects of the relationship. The PN-RQ scale will be highly functional for social and clinical psychologists who work on close relationship issues in Turkey.


2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine Bouvard ◽  
Jean-Luc Roulin

Abstract. This article examines the internal validity of the French version of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C). We first performed confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to determine the fit of the factor structure identified in previous research on the BFQ-C and then used exploratory factor analyses. A sample of 399 children (192 boys and 207 girls) recruited from elementary schools completed the BFQ-C in their classrooms. Participants were 8 to 12 years old with a mean age of 9.58 years (SD = 0.98). The results indicated poor goodness-of-fit statistics for the CFA solution. Exploratory factor analysis improved the model fit markedly over conventional CFA. The factor structure of the French version of the BFQ-C suggested reasonable fit for the five intercorrelated factors corresponding to the Big Five with the exploratory factor analyses, even if the fifth factor appeared to be more problematic than the other 4 factors.


Author(s):  
Arzu Araz ◽  
Duygu Güngör ◽  
Eda Aşçı

The present study investigates the reliability and validity of the Positive-Negative Relationship Quality (PN-RQ) scale in Turkey. In order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, two studies were performed. The first was carried out with emerging adults (university students) who were in a romantic relationship (148 females, 43 males, and 2 unkown) and had the main purpose to examine the structure validity of the measurement tool in the Turkish sample with an exploratory analysis. Study 2 was performed online with 513 married adults (359 females, 149 males, and 5 unknown); confirmatory findings and criterion validity studies were added. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that relationship quality had a two-factor structure and that there was also a negative relationship between the factors. Confirmatory factor analyses on the married sample showed that the bi-factor model provided evidence for the multidimensional nature of the scale. Both studies demonstrated high internal consistency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
Paul Bergmann ◽  
Cara Lucke ◽  
Theresa Nguyen ◽  
Michael Jellinek ◽  
John Michael Murphy

Abstract. The Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth self-report (PSC-Y) is a 35-item measure of adolescent psychosocial functioning that uses the same items as the original parent report version of the PSC. Since a briefer (17-item) version of the parent PSC has been validated, this paper explored whether a subset of items could be used to create a brief form of the PSC-Y. Data were collected on more than 19,000 youth who completed the PSC-Y online as a self-screen offered by Mental Health America. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were first conducted to identify and evaluate candidate solutions and their factor structures. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were then conducted to determine how well the data fit the candidate models. Tests of measurement invariance across gender were conducted on the selected solution. The EFAs and CFAs suggested that a three-factor short form with 17 items is a viable and most parsimonious solution and met criteria for scalar invariance across gender. Since the 17 items used on the parent PSC short form were close to the best fit found for any subsets of items on the PSC-Y, the same items used on the parent PSC-17 are recommended for the PSC-Y short form.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110354
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Killoren ◽  
J. Kale Monk ◽  
Avelina Rivero ◽  
Dawson Quinn ◽  
Gabrielle C. Kline

Negative interactions between romantic partners, such as when one partner criticizes another about their weight, are associated with poor relationship outcomes. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between romantic partner weight criticism, romantic relationship quality, gender, and Latinx young adults’ romantic relationship instability. Participants were recruited from a Qualtrics panel and completed 30-minute surveys online. The sample included 475 Latinx young adults (60% women; M age = 24.80 years, SD = 3.22; 66% Mexican) who reported on their experiences of romantic partner weight criticism, positive romantic relationship quality (e.g., intimacy, affection, nurturance), negative romantic relationship quality (e.g., conflict, antagonism), and relationship instability. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the study goals. Overall, weight-related criticism was more strongly associated with romantic relationship instability for men than for women. Further, for men, associations between weight criticism and romantic relationship instability were also particularly strong in the context of low levels of negative romantic relationship quality compared to high levels of negative romantic relationship quality.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073112142097844
Author(s):  
Amy Lucas ◽  
Jessica Halliday Hardie ◽  
Sejung Sage Yim

Previous research indicates that romantic partners’ relationship quality is associated with poverty and material hardship. Few studies have used longitudinal data to incorporate changing economic circumstances over time, included a range of economic factors, or investigated the role of social support in this association, however. Using five waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we extend prior work by evaluating the association between multiple economic stressors and romantic relationship quality over time, and whether social support explains or alters this association. Changes in economic stressors are associated with changes in romantic relationship quality over time, particularly nonstandard work and material hardship. Social support neither explains nor moderates this association in most cases. This study confirms the stress process perspective, showing how economic and work-related stress can proliferate into family life, but does not support the contention that social support buffers families against stress proliferation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
LYDIA F. EMERY ◽  
AMY MUISE ◽  
ELIZABETH ALPERT ◽  
BENJAMIN LE

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 20180642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiluned Pearce ◽  
Rafael Wlodarski ◽  
Anna Machin ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar

The ratio between the second and fourth digits (2D:4D) has been widely used as a proxy for fetal exposure to androgens and has been linked to a number of sociosexual traits in humans. However, the role of genes in this equation remains unknown. Here ( N = 474), we test, firstly, for associations between 2D:4D and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nine neurochemical receptor genes ( AR, OXTR, AVPR1A, OPRM1, DRD1/2, ANKK1, 5HTR1A/2A ), and secondly, whether digit ratios mediate the relationship between genetic variation and sociosexuality. We demonstrate significant associations between AR , OPRM1 and AVPR1A and 2D:4D. Moreover, mediation analysis indicates that, in women, AR and OPRM1 variation drives digit ratios, which are related positively to impulsivity and, for OPRM1 , negatively to romantic relationship quality. Although these findings are subject to multiple testing issues, this study provides preliminary evidence that in women genetic factors may affect both impulsivity and perceived relationship quality through influencing factors indexed by digit ratios.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document