Estudo preliminar de adaptação e validação da Escala de Tolerância à Infidelidade

Andreia Filipa Vaqueiro Domingues; Mariana Vaz Pires Marques; Sónia Catarina Carvalho Simões

doi:10.7342/ismt.rpics.2017.3.1.46

Authors

Andreia Filipa Vaqueiro Domingues Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Coimbra, Portugal
Mariana Vaz Pires Marques Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra EPE; Instituto Superior Miguel TorgaFaculdade de medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7856-280X
Sónia Catarina Carvalho Simões Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Coimbra, Portugal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6691-7941

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7342/ismt.rpics.2017.3.1.46

Keywords:

Assessment of tolerance to infidelity, Tolerance to Infidelity Scale, Psychometrics

Abstract

Background & Aims: In Portugal, we did not find studies and instruments that evaluate tolerance to infidelity for the Portuguese population. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to adapt and validate the Tolerance for Infidelity Scale (TIS) for the Portuguese population and to explore the associations between the tolerance for infidelity and different sociodemographic, relational, and regarding infidelity (and its forgiveness) variables, self-criticism and self-compassion. Methods: 223 individuals (women, 69.5%), with ages between 18 and 67 years old, answered a protocol consisting of a questionnaire with sociodemographic, relational and infidelity questions, the TIS, the Self-compassion Scale and the Forms of Self-criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale. Results: The adapted version for the Portuguese population of the TIS showed two dimensions: tolerance for sexual infidelity and tolerance for emotional infidelity. Both dimensions revealed good internal consistency: respectively, Cronbach's α = 0.896; α = 0.878. The tolerance for sexual infidelity presented good temporal stability and the tolerance for emotional infidelity very good temporal stability. Gender differences were not found regarding these dimensions. Participants who were married or were in a civil union scored higher in tolerance for sexual infidelity, in contrast with participants that were single, widows, were separated and divorced. Participants who reported having forgiven a situation of infidelity presented higher tolerance for sexual infidelity than those who did not. Also, participants that expressed not having difficulty in forgiving, presented higher tolerance for both types of infidelity, in comparison to who expressed difficulty in forgiving. Conclusions: The adapted version of the Tolerance for Infidelity Scale showed good internal consistency (total and subscales) and good temporal stability. The associations with marital status and with variables about forgiveness regarding infidelity seem to point out to the validity of the scale, but more studies are needed that explore, namely, the scale construct validity.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Afifi, W. A., Falato, W. L., & Weiner, J. L. (2001). Identity concerns following a severe relational transgression: The role of discovery method for the relational outcomes of infidelity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 18(2), 291-308. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Allen, E. S., & Baucom, D. H. (2006). Dating, marital, and hypothetical extradyadic involvements: How do they compare?. The Journal of Sex Research, 43(4), 307-317. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Almeida, L. S., & Freire, T. (2008). Metodologia da investigação em psicologia e educação [Methodology of research in psychology and education] (4th ed.). Braga: Psiquilíbrios Edições. [Google Scholar]

Amato, P. R., & Previti, D. (2003). People's reasons for divorcing. Journal of Family Issues, 24(5), 602-626. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Atkins, D. C., Baucom, D. H., & Jacobson, N. S. (2001). Understanding infidelity: Correlates in a national random sample. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(4), 735-749. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Atkins, D. C., Marín, R. A., Lo, T. T. Y., Klann, N., & Hahlweg, K. (2010). Outcomes of couples with infidelity in a community-based sample of couple therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 24(2), 212-216. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Blow, A. J., & Hartnett, K. (2005). Infidelity in committed relationships II: A substantive review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31(2), 217-233. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Bornstein, R. F. (2006). The complex relationship between dependency and domestic violence: Converging psychological factors and social forces. American Psychologist, 61(6), 595-606. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Buss, D. M., Larsen, R. J., Westen, D., & Semmelroth, J. (1992). Sex differences in jealousy: Evolution, physiology, and psychology. Psychological Science, 3(4), 251-255. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997). Susceptibility to Infidelity in the first year of marriage. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(2), 193-221. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Buss, D. M., Shackelford, T. K., Kirkpatrick, L. A., Choe, J. C., Lim, H. K., Hasegawa, M., . . . Bennett, K. (1999). Jealousy and the nature of beliefs about infidelity: Tests of competing hypotheses about sex differences in the United States, Korea, and Japan. Personal Relationships, 6(1), 125-150. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Cann, A., & Bacuom, T. R. (2004). Former partners and new rivals as threats to a relationship: Infidelity type, gender and commitment as factors related to distress and forgiveness. Personal Relationships, 11(3), 305-318. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Carpenter, C. J. (2012). Meta-analyses of sex differences in responses to sexual versus emotional infidelity: Men and women are more similar than different. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36(1), 25-37. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Castilho, P., Gouveia, J. P., & Amaral, V. (2010). Recordação das experiências de ameaça e subordinação na infância e psicopatologia: o efeito mediador do auto-criticismo [Recalling experiences of threat and subordination in childhood and psychopathology: The mediating effect of self-criticism]. Psychologica, 2(52), 475-498. [Google Scholar] [URL]

Castilho, P., & Pinto Gouveia, J. (2011a). Auto-criticismo: Estudo de validação da versão portuguesa da Escala das Formas do Auto-criticismo e Auto-tranquilização (FSCRS) e da Escala das Funções do Auto-criticismo e Auto-ataque (FSCS) [Self-criticism: A validation study of the Portuguese version of the Forms of Self-Criticizing and Reassuring (FSCRS) and the Functions of Self-criticizing/attacking Scale (FSCS)]. Psychologica, 2011(54), 63-86. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Castilho, P., & Pinto Gouveia, J. (2011b). Auto-compaixão: Estudo da validação da versão portuguesa da Escala da Auto-compaixão e da sua relação com as experiências adversas na infância, a comparação social e a psicopatologia [Self-compassion: Study of the validation of the Portuguese version of the Self-Compassion Scale and its relationship with adverse experiences in childhood, social comparison, and psychopathology]. Psychologica, 2011(54), 203-230. [Google Scholar] [URL]

Cattell, R. B. (1966). The scree test for the number of factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 1(2), 245-276. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155-159. [Google Scholar] [URL]

DiBlasio, F. A. (2000). Decision-based forgiveness treatment in cases of marital infidelity. Psychotherapy, 37(2), 149-158. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Drigotas, S. M., & Barta, W. (2001). The cheating heart: Scientific explorations of infidelity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 177-180. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Drigotas, S. M., Safstrom, C. A., & Gentilia, T. (1999). An investment model prediction of dating infidelity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(3), 509-524. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Fife, S. T., Weeks, G. R., & Stellberg-Filbert, J. (2013). Facilitating forgiveness in the treatment of Infidelity: An interpersonal model. Journal of Family Therapy, 35(4), 343-367. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Finkel, E. J., Rusbult, C. E., Kumashiro, M., & Hannon, P. A. (2002). Dealing with betrayal in close relationships: Does commitment promote forgiveness?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 956-974. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Flanigan, C. M. (2007). Staying with a partner who cheats: The influence of gender and relationship dynamics on adolescents´ tolerance of infidelity (Master’s thesis, Universidade Bowling Green State). [Google Scholar] [URL]

Galperin, A., Haselton, M. G., Frederick, D. A., Poore, J., Hippel, W., Buss, D. M., & Gonzaga, G. C. (2013). Sexual regret: Evidence for evolved sex differences. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42(7), 1145-1161. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Gilbert, P. (2005). Compassion and cruelty: A biopsychosocial approach. In P. Gilbert (Ed.), Compassion: Conceptualisations, research and use in psychotherapy (pp. 9-74). London: Routledge. [Google Scholar]

Gilbert, P., Clarke, M., Hempel, S., Miles, J. N. V., & Irons, C. (2004). Criticizing and reassuring oneself: An exploration of forms, styles and reasons in female students. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(1), 31-50. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Hall, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (2006). Relationship dissolution following infidelity: The roles of attributions and forgiveness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25(5), 508-522. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Harris, C. R. (2003). Factors associated with jealousy over real and imagined infidelity: An examination of the social-cognitive and evolutionary psychology perspectives. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(4), 319-329. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Kaiser, H. F. (1970). A second generation little jiffy. Psychometrika, 35(4), 401-415. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31-36. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Kerlinger, F. N. (1986). Foundations of behavioral research (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehard and Winston. [Google Scholar]

Lavelle, S. (2013). Tolerance for Infidelity: Exploring the factors that determine a person´s likehood of staying in a relationship where infidelity has occurred (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universidade de Adelphy, Estados Unidos da América. [Google Scholar]

Lishner, D. A., Nguyen, S., Stocks, E. L., & Zillmer, E. J. (2008). Are sexual and emotional infidelity equally upsetting to men and women? Making sense of forced-choice responses. Evolutionary Psychology, 6(4), 667-675. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Luo, S., Cartun, M. A., & Snider, A. G. (2010). Assessing extradyadic behaviour: A review, a new measure, and two new models. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(3), 155-163. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Mark, K. P., Janssen, E., & Milhausen, R. R. (2009). Infidelity in heterossexual couples: Demographic, interpersonal, and personality-related predictors of extradyadic sex. Archives of sexual behavior, 40(5), 971-982. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Martins, A. F. R. S. (2012). Comportamentos extra-diádicos offline e online nas relações de namoro: Diferenças de género nos motivos, prevalência e correlatos [Offline and online extra-dyadic behaviors in dating relationships: Gender differences in motives, prevalence and correlates] (Unpublished master’s thesis). Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra. [Google Scholar]

Miller, S. L., & Maner, J. K. (2009). Sex differences in response to sexual versus emotional infidelity: The moderating role of individual differences. Personality and individual differences, 46(3), 287-291. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Neff, K. D., & Pommier, E. (2013). The relationship between self-compassion and other-focused concern among college undergraduates, community adults, and pacticing meditators. Self and Identity, 12(2), 160-176. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Neff, K. D. (2003a). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223-250. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Neff, K. D. (2003b). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85-101. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Pais-Ribeiro, J. L. (2010). Metodologia de investigação em psicologia e saúde [Methodology of research in psychology and health] (3rd ed.). Porto: Legis Editora. [Google Scholar]

Pallant, J. (2007). SPSS survival manual (3rd ed.). New York: Open University Press. [Google Scholar]

Pestana, M. H., & Gageiro, J. N. (2008). Análise de dados para ciências sociais: A complementaridade do SPSS [Data analysis for social sciences: The complementarity of SPSS] (5th ed.). Lisboa: Edições Sílabo. [Google Scholar]

Poortman, A. R., & Seltzer, J. A. (2007). Parents’ expectations about childrearing after divorce: Does anticipating difficulty deter divorce?. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69(1), 254-269. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Sabini, J., & Green, M. C. (2004). Emotional responses to sexual and emotional infidelity: constants and diferences across genders, samples, and methods. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(11), 1375-1388. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Shackelford, T. K., & Buss, D. M. (1997). Antecipation of marital dissolution as a consequence of spousal infidelity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14(6), 793-808. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Shackelford, T. K. (1997). Divorce as a consequence of spousal infidelity. In V. C. de Munck (Ed.), Romantic love and sexual behavior: Perspectives from the social sciences (pp. 135-153). Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group. [Google Scholar]

Shackelford, T. K., Buss, D. M., & Bennett, K. (2002). Forgiveness or breakup: Sex differences in responses to a partner’s infidelity. Cognition and Emotion, 16(2), 299-307. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Shackelford, T. K., Besser, A., & Goetz, A. T. (2008). Personality, marital satisfaction and probability of marital Infidelity. Individual Differences Research, 6(1), 13-25. [Google Scholar] [PDF]

Shackelford, T. K., LeBlanc, G. J., & Drass, E. (2000). Emotional reactions to infidelity. Cognition and Emotion, 14(5), 643-659. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Thompson, A. P. (1983). Extramarital sex: A review of the research literature. The Journal of Sex Research, 19(1), 1-22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Thompson, R., & Zuroff, D. C. (2004). The levels of Self-Criticism Scale: Comparative self-criticism and internalized self-criticism. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(2), 419-430. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Treas, J., & Giesen, D. (2000). Sexual Infidelity among married and cohabiting americans. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(1), 48-60. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Tsapelas, I., Fisher, H. E., & Aron, A. (2010). Infidelity: when, where, why. In W. R. Cupach & B. H. Spitzberg (Eds.), The dark side of close relationships II (pp. 175-196). New York, NY: Routledge. [Google Scholar] [URL]

Urooj, A., Haque, A., & Anjum, G. (2015). Perception of emotional and sexual infidelity among married men and women. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 30(2), 421-439. [Google Scholar] [URL]

Viegas, T., & Moreira, J. M. (2013). Julgamentos de infidelidade: Um estudo exploratório dos seus determinantes. Estudos de Psicologia, 18(3), 411-418. [Google Scholar] [Scielo]

Whisman, M. A., Dixon, A. E., & Johnson, B. (1997). Therapists’ perspectives of couple problems and treatment issues in couple therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 11(3), 361-366. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Zuroff, D. C., Moskowitz, D. S., & Côté, S. (1999). Dependency, self-criticism, interpersonal behavior and affect: Evolutionary perspectives. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38(3), 231-250. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]