Abstract



	Assessing marital quality with distressed and nondistressed couples: A comparison and equivalency table for three frequently used measures. - Journal of Marriage and the Family

	*Abstract*
	Three of the most popular marital adjustment measures are the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Marital Adjustment Test (MAT), an the Revised Marital Adjustment Test (RMAT). While these measures assess similar dimensions, individual items on the tests are weighted differently and the scales have different ranges, all which make direct comparisons of the scales impractical. This study sought to identify the similarities and differences of the 3 measures with a large sample of 110 couples seeking marital therapy at a clinical facility and 192 nonclinical couples. Across both sample groups, each test was found to be significantly different from the other two, with differences of up to 14 points between measures. Results are important in showing that scores on the DAS, MAT, and RMAT are not equivalent. Consequently, studies of marital adjustment that have used different measures cannot be compared directly. This study proposes a solution to this problem. By using multiple regression, formula were developed to translate scores easily from one measure into equivalent scores on another measure.