title: Assessing adult adjustment to relationship separation: the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test (PAST).
abstract: Relationship separation is associated with substantial adult adjustment problems. The Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test (PAST) was developed as a self-report measure of 3 key dimensions of separation adjustment problems: lonely negativity, ex-partner attachment and coparenting conflict. Two independent samples (n = 219 and n = 169, respectively) of recently separated adults, 60% of whom had children, completed the PAST and other measures of general adjustment. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a replicable 3-factor structure, with each factor showing satisfactory test-retest and internal reliability and good convergent and discriminant validity. The PAST meets initial criteria for a potentially useful new measure of adult separation adjustment.
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. susie.sweeper@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Susie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sweeper
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halford
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results