Psychometric Validation of the Persian Short Form of the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R-S) in Iranian Adults

Background Adult attachment is commonly conceptualized along two relatively independent dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. The Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R) is one of the most widely used measures of adult attachment. However, its 36-item format may increase respondent burden, particularly when multiple questionnaires are administered or participants span a wide age range. While a Persian version of the full ECR-R has been validated, no brief Persian version has been psychometrically evaluated in an adult Iranian sample. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a 12-item Persian short form of the ECR-R. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 509 non-clinical Iranian adults aged 18–79 years participated in an online survey conducted between July 2023 and July 2024. Participants completed the Persian ECR-R, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the extraversion subscale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, and the DASS-21. A 12-item short form was developed and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analyses, and construct validity testing. Results Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed two-factor structure of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance after theoretically justified model modifications. The model showed an overall acceptable fit to the data (CFI = 0.94, IFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.077, 90% CI 0.069–0.085), although the SRMR was slightly above the conventional threshold (0.091). Standardized factor loadings ranged from 0.47 to 0.79. The 12-item scale showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81, McDonald’s omega = 0.82, and Guttman’s lambda-6 = 0.72). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.78 for attachment anxiety and 0.79 for attachment avoidance. As expected, both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were positively associated with depression and anxiety and negatively associated with self-esteem and extraversion, supporting the expected pattern of convergent and divergent validity. Women scored significantly higher than men on both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Likewise, single participants reported significantly higher scores on both dimensions than married participants. Conclusions The 12-item Persian version of the ECR-R demonstrated support for a two-factor structure, adequate internal consistency, and theoretically expected associations with psychological distress, self-esteem, and extraversion in a non-clinical sample of Iranian adults. As a brief alternative to the full ECR-R, it may help reduce respondent burden while providing an efficient measure of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance for research purposes. Future studies should examine its test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and measurement invariance across demographic and clinical groups.