Adaptation of the partner acceptance scale to turkish: its associations with forgiveness, trust, and relationship satisfaction in romantic relationships

Abstract

The ability to accept one’s partner as they have recently gained prominence as an important construct for understanding mental health and relationship quality. However, empirical studies directly focusing on partner acceptance remain limited. Addressing this gap, the present research comprises two studies examining the construct. In Study I ( N = 387), confirmatory factor analysis supported the five-item, single-factor structure of the Partner Acceptance Scale (χ²(5) = 8.88, p = .114, CFI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.045, SRMR = 0.029), and its psychometric properties were comprehensively evaluated. Item Response Theory analyses indicated that all items had moderate discrimination levels, while multiple reliability coefficients supported the scale’s overall reliability. Criterion-related validity analyses showed that partner acceptance had small associations with relationship satisfaction, perceived romantic relationship quality, and romantic jealousy (rs ranging from |0.18| to |0.20|). In Study II ( N = 492), the relationships among partner acceptance, forgiveness, trust, and relationship satisfaction were examined using structural equation modelling. The structural model demonstrated an acceptable, although partly borderline, fit to the data (χ²/df = 4.48, CFI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.083, SRMR = 0.082). Findings revealed that forgiveness and trust were sequentially associated with the relationship between partner acceptance and relationship satisfaction. Overall, the results suggest that the Partner Acceptance Scale is a valid and reliable instrument within the Turkish cultural context and further indicate that partner acceptance has modest positive associations with forgiveness, trust, and relationship satisfaction.