Brief Description
The Weiss-Cerreto Marital Status Inventory (MSI) is a psychological assessment tool used to measure the severity of marital dissatisfaction and likelihood of divorce in married couples. It helps clinicians assess the potential for divorce by identifying the degree of ambivalence, actions one has taken toward divorce, and commitment within a marriage. Responses to the MSI, which are all marked as either True or False, can indicate whether an individual is considering separation or divorce. It is a useful tool for couples therapists to understand the severity of dissatisfaction and discord the individual experiences within the unit.
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
14
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended standard frequency; Blueprint recommends every 6 months or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The MSI consists of 14 True/False items and each “True” response is assigned a score of 1 point. Items with a “False” response are assigned 0 points. The MSI total score is calculated by summing the points assigned to each of the 14 items in the questionnaire. Scores range from 0-14. Higher scores reflect greater dissatisfaction of the individual within a marriage and that the individual has engaged in more active steps that typically precede a divorce. Cut off scores of 4 for males and 5 for females were found to signify greater likelihood of severe distress within a marriage.
Blueprint Adjustments
Adjustments have been made as follows:
Blueprint’s online administration of the assessment does not include parts (a) and (b) below due to current limitations on the platform with obtaining and measuring qualitative data. Blueprint encourages clinicians to seek out this relevant information regarding the specifics of marital difficulties through the course of clinical discussion.
The original pen and paper version of the assessment asks respondents to write in the year the item began to be true for all questions that are answered as "true."
Question 6 in the measure requests respondents to identify what type of separation they are experiencing (trial separation or legal separation).
Clinically significant cut off scores have been validated for women at 4 and men at 5. Blueprint is currently unable to indicate different interpretations for subgroups of people and has implemented the higher cut off score of 5.
Clinical Considerations
Estimated time for completion: 3-5 minutes.
It is important to note that there is not a strong body of research supporting the use of MSI with individuals in LGBTQ+ relationships.
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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