Design, Construction, and Validation of the Couple Identity Scale (EIPAR)

Abstract

Although couple identity has emerged as a relevant construct in clinical practice, there are few instruments to assess it, and none validated in Spanish. For this reason, we have designed and validated the EIPAR (Couple Identity Scale for its acronym in Spanish). It consists of 19 items scored on a five-interval Likert-type scale. The items were developed from published theory in the field and were organized into two subscales: (a) Relational Interaction (RI) and (b) Relational Life Project (RLP). A sample of 205 participants was selected by nonprobability snowball sampling; 69% of them were women. Participants completed the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and the EIPAR. The two subscales obtained in the EIPAR scale showed adequate internal consistency indices, as well as in the assessment of the total scale. Furthermore, all items showed adequate item-total corrected item-total correlations. The convergent validity of the EIPAR scale with the DAS determined a high level of compatibility between the DAS dimensions and the EIPAR subscales, reinforcing the design and coherence of the latter. The EIPAR is confirmed as a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of couple identity, both for research purposes and for intervention with couples.