ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

We report two studies investigating the psychometric properties and co nstruct validity of the Quality of Relationships Inventory (QR[), a se lf-report measure of support, conflict, and depth in specific family a nd peer relationships. Study 1 showed that the QRI scales possess high internal consistency, are stable across a period of 1 year, show mode rate agreement between participants' perceptions of the same relations hip, and predict depressive symptoms beyond the contribution made by m easures of general perceived support. In Study 2, adult children's and their mothers' QRI scales assessing the quality of their relationship with one another, but not with other family members or friends, predi cted observers' global judgements of their behavior as they discussed a current source of conflict in their relationship. These studies sugg est the reliability and construct validity of the QRI scales as measur es of the quality of specific relationships. The implications of these results for the conceptualization and assessment of personal relation ships are discussed.