Description

The Friendship Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-F) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess the self-regulation strategies individuals employ to establish, maintain, and strengthen high-quality friendships. It is grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which proposes that the quality and stability of interpersonal relationships are influenced by the extent to which individuals’ behaviors are guided by intrinsic motivation, personal values, and autonomous decision-making.

The SRQ-F explores the reasons individuals invest in their friendships and the ways they regulate their behaviors to foster relationships characterized by trust, reciprocity, emotional support, and effective communication. It also evaluates the ability to manage interpersonal conflicts, adapt to social challenges, pursue shared relational goals, and maintain a healthy balance between personal autonomy and interpersonal connectedness.

The instrument is widely applied in developmental, social, educational, and counseling psychology, as well as in research investigating social adjustment, psychological well-being, emotional intelligence, interpersonal functioning, and mental health among children, adolescents, and adults.

Objective

The primary objective of the Friendship Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-F) is to provide a reliable assessment of the self-regulation strategies individuals use to develop, maintain, and enhance friendship relationships.

More specifically, the instrument aims to:

  • assess the degree of autonomy experienced within friendships;
  • examine the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations underlying friendship maintenance;
  • evaluate individuals’ ability to establish and pursue friendship-related goals;
  • assess strategies used to manage interpersonal difficulties and conflicts;
  • investigate the relationship between friendship self-regulation, social adjustment, psychological resilience, social support, and quality of life;
  • support the design and evaluation of educational, counseling, and psychosocial interventions aimed at strengthening social and emotional competencies.

Analysis

Analysis of data obtained from the Friendship Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-F) enables researchers and practitioners to quantitatively evaluate self-regulation processes within friendships and identify the factors that contribute to the development of healthy, stable, and satisfying interpersonal relationships.

The questionnaire can be used to:

  • evaluate the quality of friendship self-regulation strategies;
  • investigate the relationship between friendship self-regulation and mental health, self-esteem, and emotional well-being;
  • assess interpersonal competence and overall social functioning;
  • compare friendship self-regulation across demographic, developmental, or cultural groups;
  • evaluate the effectiveness of educational, preventive, counseling, or therapeutic interventions designed to improve interpersonal skills.

From a research perspective, SRQ-F data can be analyzed using:

  • descriptive statistics;
  • reliability analyses (Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω);
  • Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA);
  • Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA);
  • construct validity assessment;
  • correlation analyses;
  • independent-samples t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA);
  • linear and logistic regression models;
  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for testing complex theoretical frameworks.

Scoring

The Friendship Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-F) employs a Likert-type response scale, allowing respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements describing friendship-related self-regulation behaviors and strategies.

Depending on the version of the instrument, either a 5-point or 7-point Likert scale is typically used.

A common five-point response format is:

1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree

3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree

4 = Agree

5 = Strongly Agree

(or the equivalent seven-point format).

The overall score is calculated by summing or averaging individual item responses.

Higher scores indicate greater autonomy, more effective self-regulation, stronger intrinsic motivation, better communication and conflict-management skills, and higher-quality friendship relationships. Conversely, lower scores may reflect difficulties in developing and maintaining stable interpersonal relationships, limited social competencies, or greater dependence on externally regulated motivations.

Interpretation of the results is recommended in conjunction with other psychometric instruments assessing social functioning, mental health, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal relationship quality, thereby providing a comprehensive and multidimensional evaluation of social adjustment and interpersonal functioning.

References

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Plenum Press.

La Guardia, J. G., & Patrick, H. (2008). Self-determination theory as a fundamental theory of close relationships. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 201–209.

Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Daily well-being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(4), 419–435.