McGill Friendship Questionnaire – Friend’s Functions (MFQ-FF)
Measures the quality of a friendship by assessing the degree to which a specific friend fulfills developmental functions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The McGill Friendship Questionnaire – Friend’s Functions (MFQ-FF) was developed by Morton J. Mendelson & Frances E. Aboud (1999). It is designed to measure Friendship Quality. The scale is intended for use with Late adolescents and young adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 48 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Stimulating Companionship, Self-Validation, Help, Intimacy, Emotional Security, Reliable Alliance.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Stimulating Companionship | 1,8,14,22,26,36,38,47 | 8 |
| Self-Validation | 2,9,13,21,27,35,39,43 | 8 |
| Help | 3,12,16,23,25,34,40,46 | 8 |
| Intimacy | 4,11,15,24,28,31,37,45 | 8 |
| Emotional Security | 5,7,17,19,29,33,41,48 | 8 |
| Reliable Alliance | 6,10,18,20,30,32,42,44 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never, 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 384. Interpretation guidelines:
- Total score range (higher scores indicate higher friendship quality): 0 – 384
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Stimulating Companionship (alpha 0.91), Help (alpha 0.89), Intimacy (alpha 0.94), Reliable Alliance (alpha 0.95), Self-Validation (alpha 0.91), Emotional Security (alpha 0.92).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.