Relationships, health, and stress: Validation of a relationship sense of coherence measure

Abstract

Although all romantic relationships experience stress, some thrive when faced with adversity while others are unable to manage the inevitable relationship ups and downs. Rather than seeing stress as a risk factor, this study applied a Salutogenic framework, which posits that stress is a naturally occurring and potentially beneficial part of relationships, to develop a new measure of relationship health and well-being. In Study 1, we created and tested a self-report Relationship Sense of Coherence (RSOC) scale. Study 2 demonstrated evidence of convergent reliability for the RSOC. In Study 3, we tested the RSOC in a two-wave sample of romantically-involved individuals with a chronic health condition. Guidelines for use and implications for future research are discussed.