A PSYCHOMETRIC EXPLORATION OF MARITAL SATISFACTION AND COMMITMENT

The measurement of marital satisfaction and commitment was explored in a series of analyses undertaken as part of the development of a new i nstrument called the Marital Satisfaction a,ld Commitment Scales. Spec ifically, data collection involving several samples (N = 2004) focused on three broad psychometric issues as follows: (a) item selection and internal reliability; (b) test-retest reliability; and (c) validity. Results indicated that responses to the Marital Satisfaction and Commi tment Scales were reliable internally and over time, and preliminary e vidence supported the concurrent validity of scale interpretations. Ho wever, analyses designed to assess construct validity were inconclusiv e, indicating the need for additional research aimed at identifying th e conditions under which the Satisfaction and Commitment Scales may be distinguished empirically as well as conceptually.