Translation and Brazilian adaptation of the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ)

Abstract

Objectives To describe the process of translating and adapting the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) from English into Brazilian Portuguese and to present the results of its test-retest reliability using the version developed for interview application. Methodology The process was based on the guidelines of the International Society for Pharmaeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR), which propose 10 steps for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of self-administered instruments. The original authors of the RSQ have agreed to the translation. The interview version was applied to a sample of 43 healthy elders (≥60 years old) enrolled in a primary health care program in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, and then reapplied. The scores of the two applications were compared using the paired sample t-test. Results Only 6 of the 30 items required the adaptation of words or expressions to maintain its conceptual and semantic equivalence. The self-administered form of the RSQ posed difficulties for elders due to visual deficiencies and lower education level, both common in this age group, demonstrating a need for the development of a version of the RSQ in a structured interview format. Only the measure for secure attachment presented significant differences after the application of the retest, indicating reliability of the version being proposed. Conclusion Translation of the RSQ is the first step towards the validation of an attachment evaluation instrument for use in the elderly population in Brazil, allowing for future studies on this topic.

Self-esteem and depressed thoughts can be explained by attachment and family support

“…The RSQ is a measure of attachment that consists of 30 items measured on a 5-point Likert-type response scale, ranging from 1 (Not at all like me) to 5 (Very much like me). It was developed by Griffin and Bartholomew (1994), based on John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, and translated and adapted to the Brazilian context by Assis et al, (2019) in a study with a sample of older adults. The instrument follows the theoretical separation based on the working models of the Self and Others, with its factors being: Secure, Fearful, Preoccupied and Dismissing.…”

“…An important fact regarding the RSQ is that the literature indicates the difficulty of sustaining its internal structure to correspond with the original theoretical model, which has forced several authors who use it to resort to an alternative model, penalizing at least one of the factors. It is possible that this is due to the semantics of the items, which may end up reflecting more than one attachment style (Andersen et al, 2017;Assis et al, 2019;Bäackström & Holmes, 2001;Guédeney et al, 2010).…”

Do Adult Attachment Style or Personality Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Late-Life Depression in Poor Communities?

“…The RSQ was translated into and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. 42 To define avoidance and anxiety we used the proposal by Simpson et al (1992) as suggested by Kurdek, 2002), namely avoidance items 10, 12, 13, 15, 20, 24, 29, 30 and anxiety items 11, 18, 21, 23, and 25 of the RSQ questionnaire; this model yielded better goodness-of-fit values relative to other RSQ models 43 .…”