Frequently Used Measures in Couples Research and Therapy

Measures are listed in alphabetical order. You may download a word file or pdf of the measure by clicking on its name.


Adult Attachment Scales (AAS)

Collins, N. L. & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(4), 644-663. 

CES-D Scale

Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385-401. 

Commitment Inventory (CI)

Stanley, S.M. & Markman, H.J. (1992). Assessing commitment in personal relationships. Journal of Marriage and The Family, 54, 595-608. 

Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2)

Straus, M.A., Hamby, S.L., Boney-McCoy, S. & Sugarman, D.B. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283-316.

Helpful Links for Couples Researchers

 www.abct.org
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

 www.psychologicalscience.org
The Association for Psychological Science

www.abct.org/mentalhealth/journals/tbt
The Behavior Therapist

www.couplessig.net     
Couples Research and Therapy SIG of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior and Cognitive Therapies.

www.apa.org/journals/fam
Journal of Family Psychology

www.aamft.org/jmft/index_main.asp
Journal of Marital & Family Therapy

www.apa.org/journals/psp
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

www.nimh.nih.gov
National Institute of Mental Health

www.nichd.nih.gov
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)

Spanier, G.B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 38(1), 15-28. 

Emotional Control Questionnaire (ECQ)

Roger, D. & Najarian, B. (1989). The construction and validation of a new scale for measuring emotion control. Personal & Individual Differences, 10(8), 845-853. 

Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (IRI)

Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy:
                Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality, 51(2), 113-126. 

Self-Expression and Control Scale (SECS)

Van Elederen, T., Maes, S., Komproe, I., & van der Kamp, L. (1997). The development of an anger expression and control scale. British Journal of Health Psychology, 2(3), 269-281. 

Marital Status Inventory

Weiss, R. L. & Cerreto, M. C. (1980). The Marital Status Inventory: Development of a measure of dissolution potential. American Journal of Family Therapy, 8(2), 80-85. 

Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

Selzer, M. L. (1971). The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. The quest for a new diagnostic treatment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127(12), 1653-1658.

Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS)

Brown, K. W. & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822-848. 

Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR)

Schaefer, M. T. & Olson, D. H. (1981). Assessing intimacy: The PAIR inventory. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 7, 47-60. 

Quality of Marriage Index (QMI)

Norton, R. (1983). Measuring marital quality: A critical look at the dependent variable. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45, 141-151. 

Relationship Attribution Measure (RAM)

Fincham, F.D., & Bradbury, T.N. (1992). Assessing attributions in marriage: The Relationship Attribution Measure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 457-468. 

Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

Bagby, R. M., Graeme, J., & Parker, J. D. (1994). The twenty-item, Toronto Alexithymia Scale: II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 33-40.