Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)

The literature review shows a lack of standardized and validated scales assessing expectations toward romantic relationships in emerging adults. Hence, the main goal of this study was to design a tool that assesses romantic relationship expectations in Spanish-speaking emerging adults involved and n...

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Main Authors: Klara Smith-Etxeberria, Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida, Patricia Macia, Itziar Fernandez-Villanueva, Irune Corres-Medrano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004815
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author Klara Smith-Etxeberria
Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida
Patricia Macia
Itziar Fernandez-Villanueva
Irune Corres-Medrano
author_facet Klara Smith-Etxeberria
Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida
Patricia Macia
Itziar Fernandez-Villanueva
Irune Corres-Medrano
author_sort Klara Smith-Etxeberria
collection DOAJ
description The literature review shows a lack of standardized and validated scales assessing expectations toward romantic relationships in emerging adults. Hence, the main goal of this study was to design a tool that assesses romantic relationship expectations in Spanish-speaking emerging adults involved and non-involved in a romantic relationship, and to examine the psychometric properties and validity of this new measure. Participants included 1077 undergraduate and vocational training school students aged between 18 and 30 years, who completed the Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships scale (ETRR) and other measures (e.g., Experiences in Close Relationships, Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale), in order to analyze the convergent validity of the ETRR. With the aim of conducting the validation study and obtaining the psychometric properties of the scale, the sample was randomly split into two groups. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed a good fit for three factors that measured romantic relationship expectations (Stability; Caregiving; Conflict) with 19 items. Results also provided evidence of the ETRR's convergent validity through its´ significant associations with attachment-related anxiety and avoidance and some family-of-origin experiences. This study provides evidence on the reliability and validity of the ETRR in a Spanish-speaking sample of emerging adults, confirming the good psychometric properties of this new tool.
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spelling doaj-art-2a94026ff8f04dc2ae91e35e15ee38392025-08-20T02:39:28ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182024-11-0125110460310.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104603Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)Klara Smith-Etxeberria0Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida1Patricia Macia2Itziar Fernandez-Villanueva3Irune Corres-Medrano4Department of Basic Psychological Processes and their Development, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain; Corresponding author at: Avenida Tolosa 70, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain.Department of Basic Psychological Processes and their Development, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, College of Education-Bilbao, University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV), SpainDepartment of Basic Psychological Processes and their Development, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), SpainDepartment of Basic Psychological Processes and their Development, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain; Department of Social Psychology, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), SpainDepartment of Basic Psychological Processes and their Development, College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), SpainThe literature review shows a lack of standardized and validated scales assessing expectations toward romantic relationships in emerging adults. Hence, the main goal of this study was to design a tool that assesses romantic relationship expectations in Spanish-speaking emerging adults involved and non-involved in a romantic relationship, and to examine the psychometric properties and validity of this new measure. Participants included 1077 undergraduate and vocational training school students aged between 18 and 30 years, who completed the Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships scale (ETRR) and other measures (e.g., Experiences in Close Relationships, Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale), in order to analyze the convergent validity of the ETRR. With the aim of conducting the validation study and obtaining the psychometric properties of the scale, the sample was randomly split into two groups. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed a good fit for three factors that measured romantic relationship expectations (Stability; Caregiving; Conflict) with 19 items. Results also provided evidence of the ETRR's convergent validity through its´ significant associations with attachment-related anxiety and avoidance and some family-of-origin experiences. This study provides evidence on the reliability and validity of the ETRR in a Spanish-speaking sample of emerging adults, confirming the good psychometric properties of this new tool.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004815Romantic relationship expectationsValidationPsychometric propertiesEmerging adulthood
spellingShingle Klara Smith-Etxeberria
Iratxe Unibaso-Markaida
Patricia Macia
Itziar Fernandez-Villanueva
Irune Corres-Medrano
Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
Acta Psychologica
Romantic relationship expectations
Validation
Psychometric properties
Emerging adulthood
title Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
title_full Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
title_fullStr Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
title_full_unstemmed Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
title_short Development and Validation of a Measure of Expectations Toward Romantic Relationships (ETRR)
title_sort development and validation of a measure of expectations toward romantic relationships etrr
topic Romantic relationship expectations
Validation
Psychometric properties
Emerging adulthood
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004815
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