Measuring respect in close relationships

We developed a brief rating scale to measure participants’ respect for their romantic partner. Factor analyses (including confirmatory factor analysis) and correlations of Study 1 ( N = 257 college participants) data provided initial validation of a 6-item scale entitled the Respect Toward Partner Scale. The scale correlated with several love and sexual attitudes, relationship satisfaction, commitment, and self-disclosure, as hypothesized. Study 2 ( N = 214 college participants) employed this new scale, the other measures used in Study 1, and Frei and Shaver’s (2002) Respect for Partner Scale. The two respect measures were correlated; other results were largely consistent with Study 1. Study 3 largely replicated previous results, but with an older, nonstudent sample ( N = 236). Respect merits increased attention in future relationship research.