Satisfaction with Relationship Status: Development of a New Scale and the Role in Predicting Well-Being

Abstract

To develop a generic instrument assessing satisfaction with relationship status, and to examine the role of status satisfaction in explaining life satisfaction and distress beyond marital status. In two studies, we first examined the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Relationship Status Scale (ReSta). Subsequently, regression analyses were used to test the predictive value of ReSta for life satisfaction and distress after controlling for sociodemographic variables and a perceived lack of social support. An economic five-item scale was constructed, cross-validated, and showed very high reliability. In both studies, higher ReSta-scores predicted higher satisfaction with life and lower distress, explaining considerable amounts of additional variance (18–29 %) after controlling for sociodemographic variables (i.e. gender, age, and education), marital status, and also after taking a perceived lack of social support into account. Hence, being satisfied with one’s current relationship status (either having a partner or not) seems to be more important in explaining broader well-being constructs (such as life satisfaction and distress), as compared to considering marital status alone. ReSta is the first analog scale enabling comparisons between partnered and single individuals and adds explanatory value beyond marital status and other factors in predicting life satisfaction and distress.