Portuguese Version of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale: Preliminary Psychometric Properties

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is considered a core dimension to understand marriage quality, influencing individual and family well-being. The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS) is one of the most used instruments to assess this dimension. This study presents the psychometric properties of the KMSS Portuguese version through two studies. In Study 1, 145 couples (parents of school-aged children) completed the KMSS, and the Co-parenting Questionnaire and Inventory of Attachment in Childhood and Adolescence. The one-factor structure of the KMSS was supported (CFA), and an invariance analysis showed the same structure for males and females. Preliminary evidence supported concurrent and discriminant validity, and high reliability (α = .97) was observed. In Study 2, the factor structure was replicated in an extended sample (361 couples) and invariance tests showed a similar one-factor structure for two stages of the family life cycle (children 6–12 and 13–18 years). Results indicated the measure’s suitability for research in the Portuguese context; however, further study is needed for its clinical use.

Keywords:

• marital satisfaction
• couples
• psychometric properties
• Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale