The Bangla Version of the Miller Social Intimacy Scale: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Intimacy is an important component of interpersonal relationship. The Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS) was developed (Miller & Lefcourt, 1982) to measure social intimacy, to quantify the degree of emotional closeness a person felt toward another person. The aim of this study was to translate the MSIS into Bangla and validate in Bangladeshi culture. Data were collected from 177 university students (77 females and 100 males) using survey method. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the data from 172 participants (who provided complete responses) identified a two factor structure of the MSIS with 12 items. The Two factors namely 'Frequency' of intimate contact, and 'Intensity' of intimate relations together explained 49.20% of the total variance. The MSIS and its factors showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .83 for the MSIS, .75, for 'Frequency' dimension and .79 for 'Intensity' dimension), strong convergent and discriminant validity. Thus, the Bangla version MSIS appears to be valid and reliable and therefore can be used in further research on interpersonal relationship of the people in Bangladesh.