Scale Overview
The Relationships Fostering Healthy Masculinities Scale – RFHM was developed by Michael Di Bianca & James R. Mahalik (2025). It is designed to measure Interpersonal relationships fostering healthy masculinities. The scale is intended for use with Adult men (18 years and older).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 24 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Rejecting Shame, Fostering Vulnerability, Rejecting Hyper-Independence, Fostering Connection, Rejecting Violence, Fostering Compassion.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Rejecting Shame |
1,2,3,4 |
4 |
| Fostering Vulnerability |
5,6,7,8 |
4 |
| Rejecting Hyper-Independence |
9,10,11,12 |
4 |
| Fostering Connection |
13,14,15,16 |
4 |
| Rejecting Violence |
17,18,19,20 |
4 |
| Fostering Compassion |
21,22,23,24 |
4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = absolutely not true, 2 = untrue, 3 = kind of untrue, 4 = kind of true, 5 = true, 6 = absolutely true.
The scale includes 12 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 24 to 144. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low relational support for healthy masculinities: 24 – 64
- Moderate relational support for healthy masculinities: 65 – 104
- High relational support for healthy masculinities: 105 – 144
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of .81 – .84.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.