Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire after Remarriage

Authors

Keywords:

Adjustment, Marital, Psychometric, Questionnaire, Remarriage, Reliability, Validity

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire after Remarriage among women with a history of divorce and remarriage. This study employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, descriptive phenomenology was conducted with 15 women who had experienced remarriage and were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling; data obtained from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method, and the resulting components informed initial item development. In the quantitative phase, 250 women with remarriage experience in Tehran were recruited through convenience sampling. Face validity was assessed using the impact score, content validity using Lawshe’s method, and construct validity through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent and divergent validity were examined through correlations with the Las Vegas Marital Adjustment Scale and the Couple Burnout Measure, respectively. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin index was 0.89, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was statistically significant (p<0.001), supporting the adequacy of the data for factor analysis. EFA identified a five-factor structure accounting for 46.56% of the total variance. CFA further supported the proposed structure, demonstrating satisfactory model fit (χ²/df=0.81, GFI=0.96, NFI=0.96, NNFI=0.94, CFI=0.92, RMSEA=0.06). Convergent validity was supported by a positive correlation with marital adjustment (r=0.28), whereas divergent validity was demonstrated by a negative correlation with couple burnout (r=-0.21). The total questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.92. The Marital Adjustment Questionnaire after Remarriage demonstrates an acceptable factor structure, satisfactory construct, convergent, and divergent validity, and high internal consistency, supporting its use as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing marital adjustment among remarried women in family research and counseling settings.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bartle-Haring, S., Rosen, K. H., & Stith, S. M. (2009). The Las Vegas Marital Adjustment Scale: A New Measure of Marital Adjustment. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 8(2), 123-140. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-04828-002

Benton, S. E. (2026). Remarriage in Early Christianity by A. Andrew Das. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 88(1), 189-190.

Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (2010). Intimate Relationships. W. W. Norton & Company.

Browning, S., & Artelt, E. (2012). Stepfamily Therapy: A 10-Step Clinical Approach. American Psychological Association.

Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (2000). When Partners Become Parents: The Big Life Change for Couples. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Crapo, J. S., Turner, J. J., Bradford, K., & Higginbotham, B. J. (2023). An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of Parenting Difficulties over Time in Stepfamilies. Family Process, 62, 653-670. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12786

Faryabi, Z., & Zareii Mahmood-Abadi, H. (2015). Comparative Study of Marital Adaptation, Happiness and Divorce Inclination in Traditional and Non-Traditional Marriages. Tolooebehdasht, 14(3), 83-94. https://tbj.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1681-en.html

Ganong, L. H., & Coleman, M. (2017). Stepfamily Relationships: Development, Dynamics, and Interventions (2nd ed.). Springer.

Garneau, C. L., Adler-Baeder, F., & Higginbotham, B. (2016). Validating the Remarriage Belief Inventory as a Dyadic Measure for Stepcouples. Journal of Family Issues, 37(1), 58-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X13517250

Güngör, A. (2026). Remarriage after Divorce in a Collectivist Context: Lived Experiences of Family Reorganization and Social Reintegration. Family Relations, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.70266

Hashemi, S. F., Hamzehgardeshi, Z., Nataj, A. H., & Ganji, J. (2024). Factors Associated with Marital Adjustment in Couples: A Narrative Review. CPR, 2(2), 73-86. http://cpr.mazums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=103&slc_lang=en&sid=1&ftxt=1&html=1

Hetherington, E. M., & Kelly, J. (2002). For Better or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered. W. W. Norton & Company.

Higginbotham, B. J. (2005). The Remarriage Belief Inventory: Testing the Factorial Structure and Validity with a Remarried Sample Auburn University].

Higginbotham, B. J., & Adler-Baeder, F. (2008). Assessing Beliefs about Remarriages and Stepfamilies: The Remarriage Belief Inventory. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 48(3-4), 77-95. https://doi.org/10.1300/J087v48n03_05

Jensen, T. M., & Ganong, L. H. (2022). Associations between Marital Quality and Stepfamily Functioning: A Dyadic Approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(4), 568-578. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000912

Jikihara, Y., Kikuchi, M., & Nozawa, S. (2025). Stepfamily Dynamics and Emerging Adults' Adjustment in Japan: Four Patterns Affecting Stepchildren's Outcomes. Family Process, 64(4), e70071. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70071

Jikihara, Y., Nozawa, S., Ando, S., Schramm, D. G., Higginbotham, B. J., & Adler-Baeder, F. (2023). Exploring the Factor Structure and Concurrent Validity of Two Stepfamily Measures for Japanese Couples. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 64(2-4), 156-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2023.2194797

Kakkar, A. (2026). Psychosocial Aspects of Remarriage Among the Elderly. In (pp. 759-769). Springer Nature Singapore.

Navid, F. (2005). An Investigation and Comparison of the Relationship between Marital Burnout and Organizational Climate Factors among Employees of Education Departments and Nurses in Hospitals of Tehran Shahid Beheshti University]. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2030203

Nichols, M. P. (2010). Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (9th ed.). Pearson.

Papernow, P. L. (2013). Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn't. Routledge.

Pringle, J. L. (2008). The Relationship between Beliefs about Stepfamilies and Marital Adjustment in Stepfamily Couples Iowa State University].

Raley, R. K., & Sweeney, M. M. (2020). Divorce, Repartnering, and Stepfamilies: A Decade in Review. Journal of marriage and family, 82(1), 81-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12651

Santos, J. T., Higginbotham, B. J., Costa, R., & Martins, F. (2023). Factor Structure and Validity of the Portuguese Version of the Remarriage Belief Inventory. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 64(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2022.2160938

Sarmento, M. M. d. A. (2022). Women's Beliefs as a Significant Predictor of Negative Dyadic Marital Adjustment in Remarried Couples Universidade do Porto].

Schramm, D. G., & Higginbotham, B. J. (2009). A Revision of the Questionnaire for Couples in Stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 50(5), 341-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502550902766449

Sweeney, M. M. (2010). Remarriage and Stepfamilies: Strategic Sites for Family Scholarship in the 21st Century. Journal of marriage and family, 72(3), 667-684. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00724.x

van der Pas, S., & van Tilburg, T. G. (2025). The Impact of Stepfamily Structure on Older Parents' Frequency of Contact With and Care Receipt From Adult Biological and Stepchildren in the Netherlands. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 80(5), gbaf015. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf015

Downloads

Publication Timeline

Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted

Issue

Section

مقالات

How to Cite

Faraji, M., Keshavarz Afshar, H., & Vaisi, A. (1405). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire after Remarriage. Couple Therapy Assessment, Evaluation, and Intervention, 3(2), 1-28. https://jctaei.com/index.php/jctaei/article/view/109

Similar Articles

1-10 of 90

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.