Reconsideration of the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test: is it still relevant for the 1990s?

Abstract

The Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test has been in use for over thirty years despite the development of other scales. The role of the test is discussed in terms of theoretical and practical concerns in the measurement of marital satisfaction. Major criticisms are briefly reviewed and empirical questions are identified. These questions are addressed using archival data on four samples totalling 281 couples. The test possesses adequate reliability and good criterion-related validity. A single factor was identified for both men and women. Ten items discriminated in all analyses. Minor changes in the scoring procedure were suggested for two items in response to some criticisms. These changes did not affect the psychometric properties. The alternative scoring system proposed by Hunt was also evaluated and a cut-score was identified. Continued use of the test is justified in general contexts where the broadly based definition of adjustment is appropriate. More comprehensive measures of adjustment and satisfaction and simpler measures of marital quality still leave a role for this 15-item rapid assessment measure of marital adjustment.