title: The Unidimensional Relationship Closeness Scale (URCS): reliability and validity evidence for a new measure of relationship closeness.
abstract: A fundamental dimension along which all social and personal relationships vary is closeness. The Unidimensional Relationship Closeness Scale (URCS) is a 12-item self-report scale measuring the closeness of social and personal relationships. The reliability and validity of the URCS were assessed with college dating couples (N = 192), female friends and strangers (N = 330), friends (N = 170), and family members (N = 155). The results show that the scale is unidimensional, with high reliability across relationship types (M α = .96). Evidence consistent with validity included substantial within-couple agreement for the romantic couples (intraclass correlation = .41), substantial friend-stranger discrimination for the female friends (η² = .82), and measurement invariance across relationship types. Evidence of convergent and divergent validity was obtained for inclusion of other in the self and relational satisfaction, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communicology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. jdibble@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Jayson L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dibble
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Hee Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult