Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS)
What it is
The Relationship Structures Questionnaire (also known as the ECR-RS, Experiences in Close Relationships — Relationship Structures) is a self-report measure of adult attachment that assesses attachment patterns separately across different relationship contexts: romantic partner, mother, father, and best friend.
Unlike measures that capture a single, global attachment style, the ECR-RS recognises that individuals may show different attachment patterns with different close others. This relational specificity makes it particularly useful for clinical work involving interpersonal difficulties, family relationships, and trauma.
How is it used
- Suitable for adults aged 18 and over
- Takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete (depending on the number of relationship contexts assessed)
- Provides attachment scores (anxiety and avoidance) for each relationship context assessed
- Useful in formulation-focused work where the clinician wants to understand how attachment patterns vary across a client's key relationships
- Can inform the focus of therapeutic work (e.g. exploring differences between romantic and family attachment)
The ECR-RS assesses two dimensions for each relationship:
- Attachment anxiety — worry about rejection, abandonment, or not being loved enough
- Attachment avoidance — discomfort with closeness and reliance on others; preference for emotional self-sufficiency
What do the scores mean?
Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Subscale scores for anxiety and avoidance are calculated separately for each relationship context. Higher scores indicate greater attachment anxiety or avoidance in that relationship.
There are no clinical cut-off thresholds. Scores are best interpreted comparatively — across relationship contexts for a single individual, or over time to monitor relational change. Quadrant plots (low/high anxiety crossed with low/high avoidance) can be used to illustrate overall attachment profiles for each relationship.
Developer
The ECR-RS was developed by R. Chris Fraley, Marie E. Heffernan, Amanda L. Vicary, and Christopher M. Brumbaugh (2011), based on the original Experiences in Close Relationships scale (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998).
References:
Fraley, R. C., Heffernan, M. E., Vicary, A. M., & Brumbaugh, C. C. (2011). The Experiences in Close Relationships–Relationship Structures questionnaire: A method for assessing attachment orientations across relationships. Psychological Assessment, 23(3), 615–625.