The Relationship Disclosure Scale

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	The Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS) by Dr. William E. Snell, Jr.
This page shows a copy of the Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS).

RDS TOPICS SURVEY - Part A

INSTRUCTIONS: For each of the following topics, indicate how willing you would be to discuss that topic with the following two individuals: (A) a female marriage counselor and (B) a male marriage counselor:

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.

1. My love and affection for my partner. ......................................1.__

2. The significance of sex to this relationship. ..............................2.__

3. The emotional closeness in this relationship. ............................3.__

4. How sexually compatible my partner and I are. .........................4.__

5. My degree of commitment to this relationship. .........................5.__

6. My feelings of intimacy for my partner. ....................................6.__

7. What sex in this relationship means to me. ..............................7.__

8. The emotional sharing that exists between my partner and myself. 8.__

9. How well our sexual preferences match. ....................................9.__

10. How much trust I have in this relationship. ...........................10.__

11. The tender feelings of love I have for my partner.... .................11.__

12. How I feel about the sexual aspects of this relationship. ...........12.__

13. The emotional investment that occurs in this relationship. .......13.__

14. The degree of sexual harmony my partner and I have. ..............14.__

15. The sense of loyalty I have to this relationship. ......................15.__

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.

16. My love and affection for my partner. 16.__

17. The significance of sex to this relationship. 17.__

18. The emotional closeness in this relationship. 18.__

19. How sexually compatible my partner and I are. 19.__

20. My degree of commitment to this relationship. 20.__

21. My feelings of intimacy for my partner. 21.__

22. What sex in this relationship means to me. 22.__

23. The emotional sharing that exists between my partner and myself. 23.__

24. How well our sexual preferences match. 24.__

25. How much trust I have in this relationship. 25.__

26. The tender feelings of love I have for my partner. 26.__

27. How I feel about the sexual aspects of this relationship. 27.__

28. The emotional investment that occurs in this relationship. 28.__

29. The degree of sexual harmony my partner and I have. 29.__

30. The sense of loyalty I have to this relationship. 30.__

TOPICS SURVEY - Part B

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.

31. The frustrations I feel in this relationship. 31.__

32. Things I would like to change in this relationship. 32.__

33. The ways this relationship contributes to my self-confidence. 33.__

34. How this relationship undermines my confidence. 34.__

35. The fun I derive from this relationship. 35.__

36. The disappointments I feel about this relationship. 36.__

37. What I would alter about this relationship if I could. 37.__

38. How this relationship builds my confidence in myself. 38.__

39. Ways in which this relationship detracts from my self-confidence. 39.__

40. The playful aspects of this relationship. 40.__

41. The displeasure I feel about this relationship. 41.__

42. The modifications that are needed in this relationship. 42.__

43. The self-esteem I derive from this relationship. 43.__

44. How my self-esteem suffers in this relationship. 44.__

45. The joy I experience in this relationship. 45.__

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.

46. The frustrations I feel in this relationship. 46.__

47. Things I would like to change in this relationship. 47.__

48. The ways this relationship contributes to my self-confidence. 48.__

49. How this relationship undermines my confidence. 49.__

50. The fun I derive from this relationship. 50.__

51. The disappointments I feel about this relationship. 51.__

52. What I would alter about this relationship if I could. 52.__

53. How this relationship builds my confidence in myself. 53.__

54. Ways in which this relationship detracts from my self-confidence. 54.__

55. The playful aspects of this relationship. 55.__

56. The displeasure I feel about this relationship. 56.__

57. The modifications that are needed in this relationship. 57.__

58. The self-esteem I derive from this relationship. 58.__

59. How my self-esteem suffers in this relationship. 59.__

60. The joy I experience in this relationship. 60.__

TOPICS SURVEY - Part C

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.

61. What I like about my partner. 61.__

62. My partner's contributions to this relationship. 62.__

63. What my partner likes about this relationship. 63.__

64. What my partner dislikes about me. 64.__

65. How sensual my partner is as a lover. 65.__

66. The positive features of my partner. 66.__

67. The amount of time my partner devotes to this relationship. 67.__

68. What my partner enjoys about this relationship. 68.__

69. What my partner would like to change about me. 69.__

70. The tender, sexual aspects of my partner. 70.__

71. The desirable aspects of my partner. 71.__

72. My partner's degree of involvement in this relationship. 72.__

73. The aspects of this relationship that appeal to my partner. 73.__

74. Those aspects of myself which my partner objects to. 74.__

75. How passionate and physical my partner is. 75.__

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.

76. What I like about my partner. 76.__

77. My partner's contributions to this relationship. 77.__

78. What my partner likes about this relationship. 78.__

79. What my partner dislikes about me. 79.__

80. How sensual my partner is as a lover. 80.__

81. The positive features of my partner. 81.__

82. The amount of time my partner devotes to this relationship. 82.__

83. What my partner enjoys about this relationship. 83.__

84. What my partner would like to change about me. 84.__

85. The tender, sexual aspects of my partner. 85.__

86. The desirable aspects of my partner. 86.__

87. My partner's degree of involvement in this relationship. 87.__

88. The aspects of this relationship that appeal to my partner. 88.__

89. Those aspects of myself which my partner objects to. 89.__

90. How passionate and physical my partner is. 90.__

TOPICS SURVEY - Part D

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.

91. The assignment of domestic responsibilities in our relationship. 91.__

92. How we handle financial decisions in this relationship. 92.__

93. How often my partner and I discuss our relationship. 93.__

94. The attitude my partner and I have toward children. 94.__

95. How sex-roles characterize this relationship. 95.__

96. Who is assigned to do the household tasks. 96.__

97. How we deal with money management issues. 97.__

98. How often relationship-conversations take place. 98.__

99. What my partner and I think about having children. 99.__

100. How egalitarian (sex-role fair) this relationship is. 100.__

101. The procedures we use to assign household responsibilities. 101.__

102. How we decide to spend money in this relationship. 102.__

103. How often we discuss relationship issues. 103.__

104. The preferences my partner and I have about children. 104.__

105. How traditional (sex-roles) this relationship is. 105.__

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.

106. The assignment of domestic responsibilities in our relationship. 106.__

107. How we handle financial decisions in this relationship. 107.__

108. How often my partner and I discuss our relationship. 108.__

109. The attitude my partner and I have toward children. 109.__

110. How sex-roles characterize this relationship. 110.__

111. Who is assigned to do the household tasks. 111.__

112. How we deal with money management issues. 112.__

113. How often relationship-conversations take place. 113.__

114. What my partner and I think about having children. 114.__

115. How egalitarian (sex-role fair) this relationship is. 115.__

116. The procedures we use to assign household responsibilities. 116.__

117. How we decide to spend money in this relationship. 117.__

118. How often we discuss relationship issues. 118.__

119. The preferences my partner and I have about children. 119.__

120. How traditional (sex-roles) this relationship is. 120.__

TOPICS SURVEY - Part E

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female marriage counselor.

121. How stressful this relationship is. 121.__

122. How my partner and I solve relationship problems. 122.__

123. How work(school) affects our relationship. 123.__

124. How often we express anger to each other. 124.__

125. Our respective vulnerabilities in this relationship. 125.__

126. The demands and pressures in this relationship. 126.__

127. How my partner and I handle relationship conflict. 127.__

128. The impact of work(school) on our relationship. 128.__

129. The ways we express resentment toward each other. 129.__

130. The sense of personal exposure we feel in this relationship. 130.__

131. The psychological discomfort in this relationship. 131.__

132. How my partner and I solve disagreements in this relationship. 132.__

133. How work(school) influences our intimate interactions. 133.__

134. How we express irritation/impatience to one another. 134.__

135. The risk of hurt and loss involved with this relationship. 135.__

For the next 15 statements, use the following scale to respond:

A = I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
B = I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
C = I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
D = I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.
E = I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a male marriage counselor.

136. How stressful this relationship is. 136.__

137. How my partner and I solve relationship problems. 137.__

138. How work(school) affects our relationship. 138.__

139. How often we express anger to each other. 139.__

140. Our respective vulnerabilities in this relationship. 140.__

141. The demands and pressures in this relationship. 141.__

142. How my partner and I handle relationship conflict. 142.__

143. The impact of work(school) on our relationship. 143.__

144. The ways we express resentment toward each other. 144.__

145. The sense of personal exposure we feel in this relationship. 145.__

146. The psychological discomfort in this relationship. 146.__

147. How my partner and I solve disagreements in this relationship. 147.__

148. How work(school) influences our intimate interactions. 148.__

149. How we express irritation/impatience to one another. 149.__

150. The risk of hurt and loss involved with this relationship. 150.__

RDS SCORING INSTRUCTIONS :

The Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS) consists of 25 subscales, each containing three (3) separate items. The 25 subscales are clustered into five categories: (A) love, closeness, and sex; (B) self-psychological reactions; (C) partner related concerns; (D) relationship dynamics; and (E) relationship stress. The labels and items for each of these clusters (and their subscales) are listed below (first for female marriage counselors & then for male marriage counselors).

1. RELATIONSHIP LOVE: (ITEMS 1, 6, 11 & 16, 21, 26)

1. My love and affection for my partner.
6. My feelings of intimacy for my partner.
11. The tender feelings of love I have for my partner.

2. SEXUAL ASPECTS: (ITEMS 2, 7, 12 & 17, 22, 27)

2. The significance of sex to this relationship.
7. What sex in this relationship means to me.
12. How I feel about the sexual aspects of this relationship.

3. EMOTIONAL CLOSENESS: (ITEMS 3, 8, 13 & 18, 23, 28)

3. The emotional closeness in this relationship.
8. The emotional sharing that goes on between my partner and myself.
13. The emotional investment that occurs in this relationship.

4. SEXUAL COMPATIBILITY: (ITEMS 4, 9, 14 & 19, 24, 29)

4. How sexually compatible my partner and I are.
9. How well our sexual preferences match.
14. The degree of sexual harmony my partner and I have.

5. RELATIONSHIP COMMITMENT: (ITEMS 5, 10, 15 & 20, 25, 30)

5. My degreee of commitment to this relationship.
10. How much trust I have in this relationship.
15. The sense of loyalty I have to this relationship.

6. RELATIONSHIP FRUSTRATIONS: (ITEMS 31, 36, 41 & 46, 51, 56)

31. The frustrations I feel in this relationship.
36. The disappointments I feel about this relationship.
41. The displeasure I feel about this relationship.

7. RELATIONSHIP CHANGE: (ITEMS 32, 37, 42 & 47, 52, 57)

32. Things I would like to change in this relationship.
37. What I would alter about this relationship if I could.
42. The modifications that are needed in this relationship.

8. SELF-ESTEEM ENHANCEMENT: (ITEMS 33, 38, 43, & 48, 53, 58)

33. The ways this relationship contributes to my self-confidence.
38. How this relationship builds my confidence in myself.
43. The self-esteem I derive from this relationship.

9. SELF-ESTEEM EROSION: (ITEMS 34, 39, 44, & 49, 54, 59)

34. How this relationship undermines my confidence.
38. Ways in which this relationship detracts from my self-confidence.
44. How my self-esteem suffers in this relationship.

10. RELATIONSHIP FUN: (ITEMS 35, 40, 45 & 50, 55, 60)

35. The fun I derive from this relationship.
40. The playful aspects of this relationship.
45. The joy I experience in this relationship.

11. POSITIVE PARTNER ATTRIBUTES: (ITEMS 61, 66, 71 & 76, 81, 86)

61. What I like about my partner.
66. The positive features of my partner.
71. The desirable aspects of my partner.

12. PARTNER'S CONTRIBUTIONS: (ITEMS 62, 67, 72 & 77, 82, 87)

62. My partner's contributions to this relationship.
67. The amount of time my partner devotes to this relationship.
72. My partner's degree of involvement in this relationship.

13. PARTNER'S LIKES: (ITEMS 63, 68, 73 & 78, 83, 88)

63. What my partner likes about this relationship.
68. What my partner enjoys about this relationship.
73. The aspects of this relationship that appeal to my partner.

14. PARTNER'S DISLIKES: (ITEMS 64, 69, 74 & 79, 84, 89)

64. What my partner dislikes about me.
69. What my partner would like to change about me.
74. Those aspects of myself which my partner objects to.

15. PARTNER'S SENSUALITY: (ITEMS 65, 70, 75 & 80, 85, 90)

65. How sensual my partner is as a lover.
70. The tender, sexual aspects of my partner.
75. How passionate and physical my partner is.

16. DOMESTIC RESPONSIBILITIES: (ITEMS 91, 96, 101 & 116, 131, 146)

91. The assignment of domestic responsibilities in our relationship.
96. Who is assigned to do the household tasks.
101. The procedures we use to assign household responsibilities.

17. FINANCIAL DECISION-MAKING: (ITEMS 92, 97, 102 & 117, 132, 147)

92. How we handle financial decisions in this relationship.
97. H we deal with money management issues.
102. How we decide to spend money in this relationship.

18. RELATIONSHIP DISCUSSIONS: (ITEMS 93, 98, 103 & 118, 133, 148)

93. How often my partner and I discuss our relationship.
98. How often relationship-conversations take place.
103. How often we discuss relationship issues.

19. CHILDREN ISSUES: (ITEMS 94, 99, 104 & 119, 134, 149)

94. The attitude my partner and I have toward children.
99. What my partner and I think about having children.
104. The preferences my partner and I have about children.

20. SEX-ROLE ISSUES: (ITEMS 95, 100, 105 & 120, 135, 150)

95. How sex-roles characterize this relationship.
100. How egalitarian (sex-role fair) this relationship is.
105. How traditional (sex-roles) this relationship is.

21. RELATIONSHIP STRESS: (ITEMS 121, 126, 131 & 136, 141, 146)

121. How stressful this relationship is.
126. The demands and pressures in this relationship.
131. The psychological discomfort in this relationship.

22. CONFLICT RESOLUTION: (ITEMS 122, 127, 132 & 137, 142, 147)

122. How my partner and I solve relationship problems.
127. How my partner and I handle relationship conflict.
132. How my partner and I solve disagreements in this relationship.

23. CAREER IMPACT: (ITEMS 123, 128, 133 & 138, 143, 148)

123. How work(school) affects our relationship.
128. The impact of work(school) on our relationship.
133. How work(school) influences our intimate interactions.

24. ANGER EXPRESSION: (ITEMS 124, 129, 134 & 139, 144, 149)

124. How often we express anger to each other.
129. The ways we express resentment toward each other.
134. How we express irritation/impatience to one another.

25. RELATIONSHIP VULNERABILITIES: (ITEMS 125, 130, 135 & 140, 145, 150)

125. Our respective vulnerabilities in this relationship.
130. The sense of personal exposure we feel in this relationship.
135. The risk of hurt and loss involved with this relationship.

CODING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ITEMS

The items are coded so that A = 0; B = 1; C = 2; D = 3; and E = 4. The three items assigned to each RDS subscale are then summed, so that higher scores correspond to greater willingness to discuss the relevant aspect of one's relationship with the specified disclosure recipient.

The Impact of Counselor and Participant Gender on Willingness to Discuss Relational Topics: Development of the Relationship Disclosure Scale William E. Snell, Jr., Southeast Missouri State University, Bethany R. Hampton, Pamela McManus, Texas Woman's University

ABSTRACT

The present investigation examined people's willingness to disclose personal information about their intimate relationships to counselors. This was accomplished by asking 431 students to indicate how willing they would be to discuss 25 relationship topics, as measured by the newly developed Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS), with female and male counselors. The results indicated that people's willingness to discuss their intimate relationships with counselors depended on their own gender, the gender of the counselor, and the particular relationship topics assessed by the RDS. In addition, several personality variables associated with relational esteem and relational consciousness were found to be associated with women's willingness to engage in relationship disclosure with male and female counselors. These findings underscore the impact of gender and personality on counseling disclosure tendencies. The discussion focuses on gender and the use of the Relationship Disclosure Scale in research and counseling settings.

DISCUSSION

To identify important aspects of people's intimate relations to include as disclosure topics on the RDS, the prominent literature on close relations was thoroughly reviewed. Twenty-five relational topics were selected (see the topic list in Table 1) because they tended to be mentioned quite often by Brehm (1985) and the other authors. These relationship topics consisted of five clusters of topics dealing with: (1) love, closeness, and sex; (2) oneself as an intimate partner and one's psychological reactions to intimate relationships; (3) personal characteristics of the partner; (4) domestic issues; and (5) relationship stress. A group of three items was written to assess each of the 25 topics used in this investigation. Participants were asked to respond to these 75 items by indicating how willing they would be to discuss these topics with two disclosure recipients: female and male marriage counselors (order of presentation of the counselor gender was counter-balanced in this investigation).

The following 5-point Likert scale was used to assess their responses: (0) I would not be willing to discuss this topic with a female (male) marriage counselor, (1) I would be slightly willing to discuss this topic with a female (male) marriage counselor, (2) I would be moderately willing to discuss this topic with a female (male) marriage counselor, (3) I would be mostly willing to discuss this topic with a female (male) marriage counselor, and (4) I would be totally willing to discuss this topic with a female (male) marriage counselor.

Subscale scores were computed by averaging the responses to the three items assigned to each individual subscale. The range of scores on each of the RDS subscales was from 0 to 4, with higher scores corresponding to greater willingness to discuss the relationship topics with the specified disclosure recipients.

Internal consistency analyses were conducted for the 25 subscales on the RDS. For female counselors, the alphas ranged from a low of .87 to a high of .97, with an average of .93. For male counselors, the alphas ranged from a low of .87 to a high of .97, with an average of .93. These reliability coefficients show that the 3 items written to measure each of the relationship topics were internally consistent. In addition to computing alpha coefficients, intercorrelations among these subscales were also computed. The subscales were all significantly positively related with one another, rs ranging from .34 to .93. This pattern of findings indicates that the participants' willingness to discuss any one of the RDS topics was associated with their willingness to disclose information about the other relational topics on this instrument. Despite this association, we argue that the specific content of the 25 RDS subscales is conceptually distinct.

As described above, the 25 subscales on the Relationship Disclosure Scale were divided into 5 groups. To determine whether the five subscales assigned to each of the RDS sections would be more strongly intercorrelated among themselves than with the subscales on the other four RDS sections, the correlations among the 25 RDS subscales were inspected (separately for disclosure to male and female counselors). In every instance, the average correlation among the subscales assigned to each of the RDS sections was larger than the average correlation between those subscales and the subscales in the remaining four RDS sections. For disclosure to female counselors, the average correlation was .71 versus .62, .60, .55, and .60 for section A versus sections B, C, D, and E; .80 versus .62, .68, .63, .73 for section B versus sections A, C, D, and E; .74 versus .60, .68, .64, and .72 for section C versus sections A, B, D, and E; .82 versus .55, .63, .64, and .75 for section D versus sections A, B, C, and E; and .91 versus .60, .73, .72, and .75 for section E versus sections A, B, C, and D. For disclosure to male counselors, the average correlation was .67 versus .60, .57, .52 and .56 for section A versus sections B, C, D, and E; .81 versus .60, .68, .66 and .73 for section B versus sections A, C, D, and E; .73 versus .57, .68, .65, and .71 for section C versus sections A, B, D, and E; .82 versus .52, .66, .65, and .77 for section D versus sections A, B, C, and E; and .89 versus .56, .73, .71, and .77 for section E versus sections A, B, C, and D. These patterns of correlations were interpreted as evidence that the RDS subscales were in fact appropriately assigned to five distinct sections of conceptually similar relational content.

Permission is granted to individuals to use the Relationship Disclosure Scale (RDS) for research purposes. Permission granted by William E. Snell, Jr. on February 18, 1997.

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This site was last updated on Sunday, June 17, 2007 .
Department of Psychology, SE Missouri State University
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