A relationship power scale for female adolescents: Preliminary development and psychometric testing

Abstract

Objectives: To develop and test psychometric characteristics of the Relationship Power Scale (RPS), which can be used to explore the relationship power of female adolescents in heterosexual relationships. Methods: Cross-sectional design. Female adolescents in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, who had a steady relationship with a boyfriend at the time of the study were recruited as study subjects (n=414) to test validity and reliability of the RPS. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a one-factor model with correlated uniqueness among the positively worded items best fits the data. There were significantly different scores in 3 different response groups on 2 items regarding who (participants, both themselves and their boyfriends equally, or their boyfriends) had more power in the relationship, and who was more emotionally involved in the relationship for all subjects. For subjects having sex with their steady boyfriends, RPS scores significantly differ among the 3 different response groups on 2 items regarding who had more say about having sex, and who had more say about using condoms. Cronbach's α for the RPS was.69. Test-retest reliability coefficients for the RPS were.83. Conclusions: The RPS exhibited acceptable reliability and validity. Further research is recommended to use the RPS in sex-related behavior research among heterosexual female adolescents. © 2006, Blackwell Publishing, Inc.