A Revision of the Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies

This study describes the efforts to develop and validate the Revised Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies (RQCS). Utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques, a 22-item scale is presented. Concurrent validity between the original and revised instruments is assessed with a measure of marital instability. Two independent samples, from different regions of the United States, are used to cross-validate the findings. Results suggest that relative to the original instrument, the RQCS can be used to assess 4 domains of stepfamily difficulties without significant loss of measurement precision.