We-ness Questionnaire: Development and Validation

Perceptions of couple interdependence - partners’ mutual identity - are a key construct in relationship research and couple and family therapy. There is a need for a self-report measure that includes cognitive, emotional, and behavioral facets associated with perceptions of partner’s interdependence or we-ness, given its utility. The present study utilized data from 434 individuals to evaluate the psychometric properties of the We-ness Questionnaire, a multi-item self-report measure assessing perceptions of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral we-ness for individuals in a romantic relationship. Based on a sample of 434 individuals currently in a romantic relationship from the United States, the We-ness Questionnaire was found to have good reliability and showed appropriate convergent and discriminant validity. Implications for future research and couple and family therapy are discussed