Scale to evaluate your relationship

The dyadic adjustment scale (DAS) is the most widely used psychological tool to evaluate the quality of a couple’s relationship. as well as their adjustment, satisfaction, commitment, etc. It is a resource that is available in any couples therapy setting and also in the field of research. Thanks to it we obtain reliable and valid information about the emotional bond of two people.

It is possible that the term “adjustment” raises some doubts. What exactly do we mean when we talk about this dimension? Well, in reality, the word alone makes us visualize two specific pieces that, due to their shape and characteristics, are more or less likely to fit together and, therefore, work. At the couple level, as we already know, the same thing happens.

Adjustment is, for example, having the same values, knowing how to reach agreements, knowing how to handle difficult situations together, and enjoying each other.mutual respect, reciprocity… Likewise, it should be noted that this topic has always been of great interest both in the world of psychology and sociology.

Studying the adjustment of couples helps us understand, for example, the rates of breakups or divorces in a society, also the degree of satisfaction or how new generations behave compared to previous ones in this matter. Thus, as we can intuit, The dyadic adjustment scale is a more than indispensable resource in many everyday scenarios.

On the other hand, it is interesting to know that since the University of Pennsylvania sociologist Graham Spanier developed it in 1976, It has become a questionnaire used worldwide due to its simplicity and excellent psychometric results.. Let’s therefore know what this scale consists of to evaluate your relationship.

Dyadic adjustment scale: purpose and characteristics

The dyadic adjustment scale aims to evaluate the degree of harmony or global adjustment of the members in a relationship.. Professor Spaniel himself, responsible for this questionnaire, already pointed out in his day that his purpose with this test was the following:

Measure the dyadic adjustment of a relationship based on dimensions such as possible differences between the coupletensions, the presence of anxiety in the relationship and its intensity, the degree of satisfaction, cohesion and the ease or difficulty when reaching agreements.

Likewise, an aspect that today’s professionals appreciate about this instrument is its neutrality. That is, it can be applied to any couple profile (heterosexual, homosexual, married or not, etc.). It doesn’t matter that more than 40 years have passed since Graham Spaniel introduced it; It remains a useful, practical and interesting scale.

The four areas of the dyadic adjustment scale

The dyadic adjustment scale consists of 32 items that are established based on four subscales.. They are the following:

Consensus: capacity, resources and skills to reach agreements. With this questionnaire we can know the degree to which said couple reaches consensus in their daily lives.Satisfaction. This dimension is key in any emotional bond; It informs us of the level of well-being, happiness, commitment…Cohesion. With this term we refer to the degree of involvement of one member of the couple with the other. It is the interest, the appreciation, the ability to generate solutions to problems, to look for moments to share time…Expression of affection. This subscale is an essential piece to assess a couple’s adjustment. It refers to those everyday gestures that demonstrate love and affection. It is also related to sexual life and its satisfaction.

What issues does the Spanier scale assess?

As we have pointed out, Spanier’s dyadic adjustment scale consists of 32 items. The answers follow the likert stylethat is, four options ranging from “always agree” to “not agree at all”.

This questionnaire follows a self-correcting format, so we can have the results quickly. Furthermore, the most useful thing is to be able to compare each piece of information on both sides of the couple to understand where the strengths of each one are, where the problems are, and what areas we should work on.

1. Management of family finances2. Entertainment3. Religious issues4. Demonstration of affection5. Friendship6. Sexual relations.7. Conventionalisms8. Philosophy of life9. Relationships with in-laws10. Objectives, purposes, values11. Amount of time we spend together12. Making important decisions13. Housework14. Interests and activities carried out during leisure15. Decisions related to work16. How often have you thought about divorce or separation?17. How often do you leave home after a fight?18. How often do you think that things are going well for you as a couple?19. Do you trust your partner?20. Do you regret being with your partner?21. How often do you have arguments?22. How often do you feel like you are losing your temper?24. Do you participate in activities together outside of the relationship?25. Do you exchange stimulating ideas?26. Do you laugh together?27. Do you usually argue calmly?28. Do you work together on a project?29. I am almost always too tired to have sex.30. There is an absence of emotional demonstrations.31. Rate the degree of satisfaction in your relationship32. How do you see the future with your partner?

Is the dyadic adjustment scale reliable to evaluate your relationship?

Studies such as the one carried out by Dr. Michael Carey from Boston University, United States, show us that, indeed, the scale developed by Spanier in 1976, remains valid and reliable. Its four scales continue to be internally consistent, which is why it still stands as a resource that can give us very important information.

We can not only see the degree of adjustment of a couple. Thanks to it, it is also possible to assess aspects of the personality of those evaluated and even the probability that this link will be maintained or not in the future. We are faced with a questionnaire of great interest both for psychological intervention and for the field of research.

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