Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS)
What it is
The Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) is a brief 7-item self-report measure of global relationship satisfaction in romantic partnerships. It assesses overall contentment with one's relationship, including feelings of connection, communication quality, and personal fulfilment within the partnership.
The RAS is one of the most widely used short measures of relationship satisfaction in both research and clinical contexts. It is useful for understanding how relationship quality may be influencing or be influenced by an individual's mental health and wellbeing.
How is it used
- Suitable for adults aged 18 and over who are in a current romantic relationship
- Takes approximately 2–3 minutes to complete
- Provides a single overall relationship satisfaction score
- Can be administered at different time points to monitor relationship satisfaction during therapy
- Useful as a complementary measure alongside individual mental health assessments, particularly in couples work or where relationship quality is clinically relevant
What do the scores mean?
Items are rated on a 5-point scale, with some items reverse scored. Total scores are calculated by averaging across all 7 items, giving a mean score between 1 and 5. Higher scores indicate greater relationship satisfaction.
As a general guide:
- Scores of 4.0 and above suggest high relationship satisfaction
- Scores around 3.0 suggest moderate satisfaction
- Scores below 3.0 suggest lower satisfaction and potential relational difficulties
There are no formal clinical cut-off scores. Scores are best interpreted in context, and change over time is clinically informative.
Developer
The RAS was developed by Susan S. Hendrick (1988).
References:
Hendrick, S. S. (1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(1), 93–98.
Hendrick, S. S., Dicke, A., & Hendrick, C. (1998). The Relationship Assessment Scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15(1), 137–142.