Authors

J. Birtchnell, S. Voortman, C. Dejong, and D. Gordon (Adaptation: A. Kalaitzaki, I. Nestoros, and J. Birtchnell).

Purpose

The questionnaires were designed to assess negative communication patterns or maladaptive relationships that a couple might exhibit, within the context of the interpersonal octagon.

Brief Description

The Couple’s Relating to Each Other Questionnaires (CREOQ) are based on the theory of Birtchnell, as described in the Revised Questionnaire on Types of Relating of the Individual to Others. These questionnaires consist of four sections, each containing 96 items. They record negative types of relationships between two partners, specifically negative communication styles. The eight types of relationships correspond to the eight positions of the interpersonal octagon in Birtchnell’s (2001) theory: neutral power position, proximity from power position, neutral proximity, proximity from weakness position, neutral weakness position, distance from weakness position, neutral distance, and distance from power position. The CREOQ assess each partner’s relationship with the other and their perception of how the other relates to them. Each partner fills out a questionnaire evaluating their relationship with themselves and another one evaluating their relationship with their partner. Each questionnaire is marked with the initials of two words, the first referring to the person assessing and the second to the person being assessed. The scoring is based on 10 negative items for each subscale, representing the negative types of relationships, while 2 positive items are added to reduce the negative tone of the questionnaire and are not counted in the overall score.

Sample

The sample consisted of 84 parent couples, each having an adult child with a mental disorder, such as psychosis or neurosis. Additionally, there were 80 couples in the control group. The 84 couples were parents of psychiatric patients undergoing psychotherapy with a private psychiatrist-psychotherapist. Psychology students approached the 80 control couples through acquaintances and friends.

Scoring Method

The assessment system is based on a four-point scale (almost always true, quite often true, sometimes true, rarely true), corresponding to 3, 2, 1, and 0, respectively. Each response in the eight sections of the interpersonal octagon can receive a maximum negative score of 30, while the total negative score for the entire questionnaire is 240. A special software provides a graphical representation of the negative score, highlighting shaded areas for sections of the octagon where negative relationships are observed. Although it is rare to obtain a score of 0, i.e., no shading in any section of the octagon, people with good interpersonal relationships tend to have a low score. Comparing the graphical representations of the octagons allows understanding the magnitude and intensity of the negative relationship, as well as detecting the extent of the shaded area in the sections of the octagon. At the same time, it provides insights into the agreement or disagreement in self and other evaluations, as well as in the corresponding self- or other-evaluations of the partners.

Validity

The text above describes a research study conducted to examine validity at three levels: apparent validity, content validity, and construct validity. The study included an analysis of correlation coefficients (Pearson r) between the eight subscales in four questionnaires, which were given to two groups: one consisting of parents with an adult child who had a mental disorder and one control group. The most significant finding was the high correlation between the main scales and the neighboring intermediate ones. Specifically, the coefficients representing neutral proximity, neutral distance, neutral power position, and neutral weakness position had a high correlation with the neighboring intermediates. Furthermore, the average scores of these coefficients were statistically significantly higher than those of the remaining coefficients in both groups.

Reliability

For the couples with a psychiatric patient, the reliability indicators (Cronbach’s α) for the four CREOQ questionnaires exceeded 0.60 in 28 out of 32 subscales (4 questionnaires with 8 subscales each), with a mean of 0.71 (standard deviation 0.12). In the control group, the reliability indicators for the four questionnaires were above 0.60 in 24 out of 32 subscales, with a mean of 0.68 (standard deviation 0.11). The CREOQ were re-administered to 40 couples two to three months after the initial administration. The reliability of the repeated measurements was satisfactory, as no statistically significant differences were found between the administrations (as assessed with the t-test for repeated measurements).

Main References

Birtchnell, J., Voortman, S., Dejong, C., & Gordon, D. (2006). Measuring interrelating within couples: The Couple’s Relating to Each Other Questionnaires (CREOQ). Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 79, 339-364.
Kalaitzaki, A. E., Birtchnell, J., & Nestoros, J. N. (2009). Interrelating within the families of young psychotherapy outpatients. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 16(3), 199-215.
Kalaitzaki, A. E., Birtchnell, J., & Nestoros, J. N. (2010). Does family interrelating change over the course of individual treatment? Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 17(6), 463-481.
Kalaitzaki, A. E., & Nestoros, J. N. (2002). The family relationships of individuals with psychotic symptoms: Description and assessment based on the theory of the interpersonal octagon. In N. Polemikos, M. Kaila, & F. Kalavasis (Eds.), Educational, Family, and Political Psychopathology Vol. B: Deviant Dimensions in the Family Sphere (pp. 140-163). Athens: Atrapos.
Kalaitzaki, A. E. (2000). The impact of the Synthetic Model of Psychotherapy on the family relationships of patients with paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Crete.