PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP INVENTORY WITH A HOMELESS SAMPLE

This paper examined the psychometric properties of the Interpersonal R elationship Inventory with a sample of homeless men who were first-tim e shelter users. The measure, based on social exchange theory and equi ty theory, has two subscales, one for support and the other for confli ct. As yet, few measurements have been developed to assess conflict fr om within social networks. As part of a larger longitudinal study a sa mple of 166 first-time shelter users was administered the inventory. A student sample also filled out the inventory for comparison purposes. Internal consistency for both subscales was good, .90 for Support and .83 for Conflict. Weak interitem correlations were prevalent among ma ny items in the Conflict subscale. A nearly zero correlation was found between scores on the Support and Conflict subscales, suggesting inde pendence. An exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation confir med a dual factor structure. Analyses of variance and Scheffe contrast tests detected no statistically significant differences between age g roups on either the Support or the Conflict subscales. A multiple regr ession analysis indicated that, when controlling for age, scores on th e Support scale discriminated the homeless and student samples, while scores on the Conflict subscale do not. The Support subscale indicates excellent psychometric qualities, while the Conflict subscale should be refined.