Conceptualizing and measuring global interpersonal mistrust-trust

Global interpersonal mistrust is conceptualized as a general mistrust of th e motives of others in situations related to one's well-being: a general te ndency to view others as mean, selfish, malevolent, or unreliable people wh o are, thus, not to be depended on to treat one well. The authors developed an 18-item unidimensional self-report inventory measuring interpersonal mi strust as a negative cognitive orientation toward others. The measure compr ises items describing perceptions of specific hypothetical interpersonal si tuations rather than items asking respondents to describe their own general behavior. The measure was reliable and evidenced construct validity in a h eterogeneous sample of Australians.