Measuring romantic competence in young adults: The Inventory of Romantic Relationship Competence

Abstract

This article presents psychometric data for a 35-item self-report instrument measuring romantic relationship competence in two separate samples of young adult college students. In study 1 (N = 219), results from Parallel Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) suggested the extraction of seven domains of romantic relationship competence: relationship locus of control, perspective taking, intimacy avoidance, emotion regulation, romantic appeal, conflict resolution skills, and temperament. In study 2 (N = 907), a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) provided support for the aforementioned factor structure albeit with minor revisions (i.e., correlated errors between three pairs of items). MIMIC modeling results provided support for partial measurement invariance across gender. A CFA-based method of estimating scale reliability demonstrated acceptable to good reliability indices. Bivariate correlations with other social competence and self-esteem measures provided support for convergent and divergent validity. An excel-based applet is available to readers who are interested in using the 35-item IRRC with individual respondents (e.g., practitioners). Researchers interested in using the measure within the context of structural equation modeling should model relevant non-invariant parameters before proceeding with the evaluation of structural parameters. This instrument demonstrates promise as an instrument for measuring domains of romantic relationship competence within the emerging adult population.