Kansas Marital Conflict Scale – KMCS
Measures spouses' perceptions of marital conflict and communication dynamics across the beginning, discussion, and resolution phases of a disagreement.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Kansas Marital Conflict Scale – KMCS was developed by Eggeman, K. W., Moxley, V., & Schumm, W. R. (1985). It is designed to measure Marital conflict and communication. The scale is intended for use with Married individuals.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Beginning Phase, Discussion Phase, Resolution Phase.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning Phase | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 | 11 |
| Discussion Phase | 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26 | 15 |
| Resolution Phase | 27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 | 11 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Once in a while, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Frequently, 5 = Almost always.
The scale includes 19 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 37 to 185. Interpretation guidelines:
- High Conflict / Poor Communication Quality: 37 – 86
- Moderate Conflict / Moderate Communication Quality: 87 – 136
- Low Conflict / High Communication Quality: 137 – 185
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.