Development and Validation of the Dishonesty in Intimate Relationships Scale (DIRS)

Abstract: Dishonesty occurs in romantic relationships and can undermine relational functioning. Existing measures typically focus on specific behaviors separately – such as infidelity or lying – rather than capturing dishonesty in romantic relationships more broadly. Addressing this gap, based on three studies with over 3,300 participants overall, we introduce the Dishonesty in Intimate Relationships Scale (DIRS). DIRS is a 10-item measure grounded in a comprehensive framework of dishonesty in romantic relationships, consisting of two dimensions: Deception (e.g., lying, withholding information) and Infidelity (e.g., emotional and sexual unfaithfulness). Study 1 ( N = 1,448) used exploratory factor analysis to identify the two-factor structure. Study 2 ( N = 1,000) supported the structure with confirmatory factor analysis. Study 3 aimed to substantiate the reliability and validity of the DIRS across two measurement occasions ( N = 965 at first, N = 898 at second measurement occasion), including considering its factorial, convergent, discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity. Next to partial support for DIRS’ discriminant validity, results provided support for its convergent and criterion validity, including associations with relationship outcomes (e.g., ambivalence, authenticity, closeness, trust), beyond other dishonesty measures and basic personality dimensions. In sum, DIRS offers a brief, reliable domain-specific tool for assessing dishonesty in romantic relationships.