Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:44:57.993Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Investigating the Validity and Reliability of the Caregiving Questionnaire with Individuals in Same-Sex Couple Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2013

Anne-Rose Bouaziz ,
Marie-France Lafontaine ,
Nicolas Gabbay  and
Angela Caron
Anne-Rose Bouaziz*
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Marie-France Lafontaine
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nicolas Gabbay
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Angela Caron
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Anne-Rose Bouaziz, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5. Email: aboua102@uottawa.ca or mlafonta@uottawa.ca
Get access

Abstract

This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and convergent and divergent validity of the Caregiving Questionnaire (CQ; Kunce & Shaver, 1994) with a sample of individuals who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, and bisexual and are currently involved in same-sex couple relationships (N = 143; 114 females). An exploratory factor analysis extracted the CQ's four dimensions, supporting its construct validity. Additionally, the questionnaire demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Correlations were found among participants’ self-reported romantic attachment patterns, as evaluated by the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR; Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998), and caregiving patterns, as measured by the CQ. No significant associations were found between the four factors and participants’ age, relationship duration, or gross annual revenue. Results support the use of the CQ with individuals involved in same-sex relationships.

Keywords

caregivingsame-sex relationshipsfactor analysisreliabilityvalidityromantic attachment
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 4 , 25 October 2013 , e2
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychological Association (APA). (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L.M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four category model. Journal of Psychology, 61, 226–244. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226Google ScholarPubMed
Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1 Attachment. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Brassard, A., Houde, F., & Lussier, Y. (2011).Validation du questionnaire de soutien conjugal (QSC): Un instrument de mesure bref sur le soutien émis et reçu à l'intérieur de la dyade conjugale. Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 43, 69–77. doi:10.1037/a0021390Google Scholar
Brennan, K.A., Clark, C.L., & Shaver, P.R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview. In Simpson, J.A., & Rholes, W.S. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46–76). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Bryant, F.B., & Yarnold, P.R. (1995). Principal-components analysis and exploratory and confirmatory factory analysis. In Grimm, L.G. & Yarnold, P.R. (Eds.), Reading and understanding multivariate statistics (pp. 99–136). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Carnelley, K.B., Pietromonaco, P.R., & Jaffe, K. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and relationship functioning in couples: Effects of self and partner. Personal Relationships, 3, 257–278. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00116.xGoogle Scholar
Carr, C.L. (2007). Bisexuality as a category in social research. Journal of Bisexuality, 6, 27–46. doi:10.1300/J159v06n04_03Google Scholar
Cassidy, J. (2000). Adult romantic attachments: A developmental perspective on individual differences. Review of General Psychology, 4, 111–131. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.4.2.111Google Scholar
Collins, N.L., & Feeney, B.C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1053–1073. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.6.1053Google Scholar
Collins, N.L., Guichard, A.C., Ford, M.B., & Feeney, B.C. (2006). Responding to need in intimate relationships: Normative processes and individual differences. In Mikulincer, M. & Goodman, G.S. (Eds.), Dynamics of romantic love (pp. 149–189). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Collins, N.L., & Read, S.J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 644–663. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.644CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crowell, J.A., Fraley, R.C., & Shaver, P.R. (2008). Measurement of individual differences in adolescent and adult attachment. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 599–634). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Crowell, J.A., Treboux, D., Gao, Y., Fyffe, C., Pan, H., & Waters, E. (2002). Assessing secure base behavior in adulthood: Development of a measure, links to adult attachment representations, and relations to couples communication and reports of relationships. Developmental Psychology, 38, 679–693. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.38.5.679Google Scholar
Davila, J., & Kashy, D.A. (2009). Secure base processes in couple: Daily associations between support experiences and attachment security. Journal of Family Psychology, 1, 76–88. doi:10.1037/a0014353Google Scholar
Feeney, B.C. (2004). A secure base: Responsive support of goal strivings and exploration in adult intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 631–648. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.5.631CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feeney, B.C., & Collins, N.L. (2001). Predictors of caregiving in adult intimate relationships: An attachment theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 972–994. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.972Google Scholar
Feeney, B.C., & Collins, N.L. (2003). Motivations for caregiving in adult intimate relationships: Influences on caregiving behavior and relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 950–968. doi:10.1177/0146167203252807Google Scholar
Feeney, J.A. (1996). Attachment, caregiving, and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 3, 401–416. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.1996.tb00124.xGoogle Scholar
Feeney, J.A., & Hohaus, L. (2001). Attachment and spousal caregiving. Personal Relationships, 8, 21–39. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2001.tb00026.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraley, C.R., Brennan, K.A., & Waller, N.G. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self- report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350–365. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.78.2.350Google Scholar
Gates, G.J. (2006). Same-sex couples and the gay, lesbian, bisexual population: New estimates from the American Community Survey. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdfGoogle Scholar
Griffin, D., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). The metaphysics of measurement: The case of adult attachment. In Bartholomew, K. & Perlman, D. (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 17–52). London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P.R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511Google Scholar
Kane, H.S., Jaremka, L.M., Guichard, A.C., Ford, M.B., Collins, N.L., & Feeney, B.C. (2007). Feeling supported and feeling satisfied: How one partner's attachment style predicts the other partner's relationship experiences. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 535–555. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kotler, T. (1985). Security and autonomy within marriage. Human Relations, 38, 299–321. doi:10.1177/001872678503800402Google Scholar
Kunce, L.J., & Shaver, P.R. (1994). An attachment-theoretical approach to caregiving in romantic relationships. In Perlman, D. & Bartholomew, K. (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships: vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 205–237). London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Kurdek, L.A. (2002). On being insecure about the assessment of attachment styles. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 811–834.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurdek, L.A. (2004). Are gay and lesbian cohabiting couples really different from heterosexual married couples? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 880–900. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00060.xGoogle Scholar
Kurdek, L.A. (2008). A general model of relationship commitment: Evidence from same-sex partners. Personal Relationships, 15, 391–405. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2008.00205.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lafontaine, M.F., & Bélanger, C. (2003). Étude des composantes comportementales de l'attachement chez les couples. [Behavioral components in couples’ attachment]. Revue Québécoise de Psychologie, 24, 17–24.Google Scholar
Lafontaine, M.F., Bélanger, C., & Gagnon, C. (2009). Support seeking, caregiving and conflict management: Evidence from an observational study with couples. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 3, 9–24. Retrieved from http://ejop.org/Google Scholar
Long, E.C.J. (1990). Measuring dyadic perspective taking: Two scales for assessing perspective taking in marriage and similar dyads. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 50, 91–103. doi:10.1177/0013164490501008Google Scholar
Matte, M., Lemieux, A., & Lafontaine, M.-F. (2009). Brief report: Factor structure of the Experience in Close Relationships with gay and lesbian individuals. North American Journal of Psychology, 11, 361–368. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-200919503.htmlGoogle Scholar
Mikulincer, M. (2006). Attachment, caregiving and sex within romantic relationships: A behavioral systems perspective. In Mikulincer, M. & Goodman, G.S. (Eds.), Dynamics of romantic love (pp. 23–44). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2007). Attachment processes and couple functioning. In Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.), Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change (pp. 290–323). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Millings, A., & Walsh, J. (2009). A dyadic exploration of attachment and caregiving in long-term couples. Personal Relationships, 16, 437–453. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01258.xGoogle Scholar
Mohr, J.J. (2008). Same-sex romantic attachment. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.), Handbook of attachment theory and research and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 482–502). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Péloquin, K., & Lafontaine, M.-F. (2010). Measuring empathy in couples: Validity and reliability of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples. Journal of Personality Assessment, 92, 146–157. doi:10.1080/00223890903510399Google Scholar
Peplau, L.A., & Fingerhut, A.W. (2007). The close relationships of lesbian and gay men. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 405–424. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085701CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peplau, L.A., & Spalding, L.R. (2003). The close relationships of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In Garnets, L.D. & Kimmel, D.C. (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on lesbian and gay male experiences (2nd ed., pp. 449–474). New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Ridge, S.R., & Feeney, J.A. (1998). Relationship history and relationship attitudes in gay males and lesbians: Attachment style and gender differences. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 848–859. doi:10.3109/00048679809073875Google Scholar
Riggs, D.W. (2008). Attachment theory as a ‘practice of heterosexism’: Resisting the psychologisation of lesbian and gay foster carers. In Nathanson, J. & Tuley, C. (Eds.), Mother knows best: Talking back to the baby ‘experts’ (pp. 148–157). Toronto: Demeter Press.Google Scholar
Savin-Williams, R., & Ream, G.L. (2007). Prevalence and stability of sexual orientation components during adolescence and young adulthood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 385–394. doi:10.1007/s10508-006-9088-5Google Scholar
Shaver, P.R., & Hazan, C. (1988). A biased overview of the study of love. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5, 473–501. doi:10.1177/0265407588054005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaver, P.R., Hazan, C., & Bradshaw, D. (1988). Love as attachment: The integration of three behavioral systems. In Sternberg, R.J. & Barnes, M. (Eds.), The psychology of love (pp. 68–99). New Haven: Yale University.Google Scholar
Simpson, J.A., Winterheld, H.A., Rholes, W.S., & Orina, M.M. (2007). Working models of attachment and reactions to different forms of caregiving from romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 466–477. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.93.3.466Google Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2008). Health care use among gay, lesbian and bisexual Canadians. Retrieved on June 10, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2008001/article/10532-eng.pdfGoogle Scholar
Statistics Canada. (2011). Portrait of families and living arrangement in Canada: Families, households and marital status, 2011 Census of population. Retrieved on September 25, 2012, from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-312-x/98-312-x2011001-eng.pdfGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2007). Using multivariate xtatistics (5th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Umberson, D., Chen, M.D., House, J. S., Hopkins, K., & Slaten, E. (1996). The effect of social relationships on psychological well-being: Are men and women really so different? American Sociological Review, 61, 837–857.Google Scholar
Waters, H.S., & Waters, E. (2006). The attachment working models concept: Among other things, we build script-like representation of secure base experiences. Attachment and Human Development, 8, 185–197. doi:10.1080/14616730600856016Google Scholar