“Positive relationship” is a term frequently used, as synonymous to close, meaningful, supportive or important relationships. However, the characteristics of a relationship characterized as positive have not yet been fully examined and described. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of a new instrument for measuring the characteristics of positive relationships. The Positive Relationships Questionnaire (PRQ) is a 35-item self-report instrument that evaluates the quality of positive relationships as well as the conditions that people need to offer and/or provide to others in order to have positive relationships. Its 35 items were drawn from the findings of previous qualitative research and are grouped into three broad categories: positive emotions, active contribution and readiness to support. A total of 331 adults, aged from 17 to 57 years old completed the PRQ and the PERMA Profiler. The findings showed that PRQ has good internal consistency and its factor structure includes four factors: self-improvement, practical support, emotional support, and shared enjoyment. All factors were found to have high correlations with the two domains of PERMA, positive emotions and re-lationships, and low to moderate correlations with engagement, meaning, and accomplishment. These results provide initial evidence of satisfactory convergent and divergent validity. PRQ is a useful instrument. It provides a quantitative evaluation of the quality and content of positive relationships and can be used broadly as a wellbeing index.
KeywordsPositive RelationshipsQuestionnaireWell-BeingPERMAPilot Study
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