The initiator style questionnaire: A scale to assess initiator tendency in couples

The tendency of partners in a dyad to initiate or avoid relationship problem discussions has proven to have both theoretical and clinical significance. This tendency is conceptualized here as initiator tendency, which is defined as the propensity to initiate relationship-focused discussions with one's partner or avoid such discussions. The current paper reports 3 studies summarizing the development of a measure to assess initiator tendency: the Initiator Style Questionnaire (ISQ). The ISQ provides self-report assessments of self and partner's perceived initiator tendencies. The studies indicate that the 2 parallel 10-item measures exhibit strong unidimensionality, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability, as well as appropriate discriminant validity and good convergent and construct validity. Limitations and applications are discussed.