Rasch Analysis of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) with Military Couples

Abstract

The quality of a romantic relationship can have serious implications for individual well-being. As such, it is important that we are able to accurately measure romantic relationship quality, also known as dyadic adjustment, in order to conduct rigorous studies that include this construct. The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS; Busby et al., J Marital Fam Ther 21:289–308, 1995), a more concise and valid version of the frequently used Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, J Marriage Fam 38:15–28, 1976), was developed to accurately measure dyadic adjustment. However, the RDAS has yet to be validated using advanced measurement techniques. This study specifically evaluated the RDAS using Rasch modeling in a sample of military couples, a population at high risk for relationship challenges due to the deployment process. Evaluation of the RDAS using Rasch modeling confirmed that it serves as both a global and multidimensional scale, with only minor revisions recommended to help improve its validity.