Brief Description
The Relationship Domains Assessment (RDA) is a component of the Marriage Checkup Questionnaire (MCQ) that asks each partner to evaluate their relationship across a range of key domains. It was designed to provide a broad map of relational functioning, highlighting both strengths and areas of concern. The MCQ-RDA captures how partners perceive different aspects of their relationship and allows for comparison between partners’ ratings to identify alignment or discrepancies. This measure can help inform the feedback session in the Marriage Checkup process, guiding discussion of areas where couples may want to focus. The MCQ-RDA includes domains like money, spirituality, and time together.
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
80
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Baseline and follow up after intervention, with optional use following major relational events.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
Each of the 80 items is rated on a 3-point Likert scale (1 = “Not at all concerned” to 3 = “Very concerned”), giving a total score range of 80 to 240, with higher scores reflecting higher levels of concern. The measure also produces 12 subscale scores, which provide indication of which domains are areas of strength and which ones might present challenges. Each subscale is calculated by summing corresponding items, as shown below.
Subscale | Items | Range |
Overall satisfaction | 1-5 | 5-15 |
Emotions | 6-12 | 7-21 |
Communication | 13-22 | 10-30 |
Time together | 23-27 | 5-15 |
Money | 28-35 | 8-24 |
Sexual relationship | 36-41 | 6-18 |
Coparenting | 42-50 | 9-27 |
Intimacy | 51-58 | 8-24 |
Acceptance | 59-64 | 6-18 |
Forgiveness | 65-70 | 6-18 |
Spirituality | 71-75 | 5-15 |
Friendship | 76-80 | 5-15 |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 15-20 minutes.
Responses should be kept private until the feedback session to encourage honest reporting.
The emphasis for results should focus on patterns and discrepancies between partners, not just absolute scores.
There are no standardized cut-offs; interpret relative to couple norms and within the context of the relationship.
Effective in preventive interventions, early relational checkups, and booster sessions and can also be integrated into ongoing therapy to assess changes in relational domains over time.
Citation
Córdova, J. V., & Gee, C. B. (2009). The Marriage Checkup: Practitioner’s guide. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4317319
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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