Development and Validation of the Perceived Partner Stroke Scale in Chinese Married Individuals

As a main source of love and belonging, romantic relationships have a profound impact on physical and mental health. According to transactional analysis (TA) theory, individuals’ perceptions of strokes (interpersonal transactions) from their partner are closely correlated with relationship satisfaction and even psychological well-being. However, there currently is no reliable and validated scale that assesses perceived strokes in romantic relationships. Addressing this gap, the present study developed the Perceived Partner Stroke Scale (PPSS) using two independent samples of 403 and 331 married participants. The PPSS demonstrated a stable five-factor structure consisting of positive conditional strokes, positive unconditional strokes, negative conditional strokes, negative unconditional strokes, and non-strokes. It exhibited good reliability and validity, with significant correlations between the subscale scores and other established relationship indicators. This research contributes to understanding various types of strokes in romantic relationships and their impact on relationship quality and maintenance, thereby offering valuable insights for marital counseling.