Dimensionality of Brief Family Interaction and Satisfaction Scales among Couples from Eight Western and Midwestern States

Abstract

The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Kansas Parental Satisfaction Scale, a version for couples of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III), and three subscales from the Marital Communication Inventory were subjected to common factor analysis using data from 1222 rural, heterosexual couples, husbands and wives from eight western and midwestern states in the United States. The analysis supported the expected dimensionality of the Marital Communication Inventory and the two satisfaction scales but suggested that the adaptability scale may have more than one dimension. All scales showed adequate to high internal consistency reliability; however, the two FACES III scales were correlated .59 for both husbands and wives, casting doubt on the presumed orthogonality of those scales, at least for these samples. The results further support the potential validity of brief measures of relationship quality and satisfaction.