Background

Satisfying relationships have been extensively investigated in past literature, with little attention being paid to the nature and assessment of flourishing couple relationships. Particularly, self-report measures of relationship quality were designed primarily to discriminate distressed relationships from satisfying (non-distressed) relationships. Such measures of relationship satisfaction are broadly insensitive to variations in quality at the upper end of the range. Besides the immediate limitations on their psychological assessment, this further challenges the definition and exploration of the concept of flourishing relationships.

Aims

To develop a better understanding of flourishing relationships, we developed a theoretical framework of relationship flourishing incorporating concepts developed in positive psychology and relationship science. Based on this framework, we developed a psychometrically sound assessment of couple flourishing.  

Method

Based on this theoretical framework, a pool of 60 items was generated. These items were administered online to a sample of 1084 participants, and using combined methods of classical test theory and item response theory, 16 items were selected to form the Couple Flourishing Measure (CFM). In an independent sample of 330 participants, we replicated the unifactorial structure of the CFM, and the distinguishability of couple flourishing and couple satisfaction.

Results

Confirmatory factor analyses showed the construct of couple flourishing as measured by the CFM was related to, but distinguishable from, couple relationship satisfaction. Moreover, IRT analysis of the CFM measure showed it was more sensitive to variation in relationship quality across the range of quality than the best available relationship satisfaction measure. Convergent and divergent validity with related constructs suggests that the CFM was assessing couple flourishing. 

Conclusion

With the assessment of couple flourishing available and through its enhanced sensitivity at the higher end of relationship quality, we hope to have contributed towards addressing a long-standing empirical problem, but also have generated a line of research to better understand flourishing relationships, exploring the outcomes, predictors and correlates of such relationships.