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Marital Psychological Distance Scale3

Marital Psychological Distance Scale Test

Understand how close or distant partners feel in about 13 minutes. Targeted results pinpoint friction points like boundaries, shared plans, and support to guide counseling and next steps.

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Questions: 6913 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

17,850 views

1,612 completions

1,313 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

9/19

Values Distance (VD)

Measures how closely spouses align in core life attitudes and values.

Low alignment

Moderate alignment

High alignment

0 – 6: Low alignment | 7 – 13: Moderate alignment | 14 – 19: High alignment

A score of 9 indicates moderate value alignment, suggesting some shared beliefs alongside notable differences that may influence day-to-day decisions.

example score

10/13

Social Ties Distance (STD)

This scale measures how involved spouses are in each other’s social contacts and shared social life.

Low integration

Moderate integration

High integration

0 – 4: Low integration | 5 – 9: Moderate integration | 10 – 13: High integration

A score of 10 indicates high social integration, suggesting strong openness and involvement in each other’s social ties.

example score

2/6

Daily Routine and Time-Use Habits Distance (DRaTUHD)

Measures how closely spouses’ daily routines and time-management habits align with each other.

Low alignment

Moderate alignment

High alignment

0 – 2: Low alignment | 3 – 4: Moderate alignment | 5 – 6: High alignment

A score of 2 indicates low alignment in temporal habits, suggesting notable differences in daily routines and time use that may require extra coordination.

example score

3/8

Personal Belongings Distance (PBD)

Measures how open and trusting spouses are about access to each other’s personal belongings and property.

More guarded

Some openness

Very open

0 – 2: More guarded | 3 – 5: Some openness | 6 – 8: Very open

A score of 3 suggests some openness around personal items, with noticeable boundaries still present between partners.

example score

2/10

Territorial Distance (TD)

Measures how much spouses share versus separate personal space and everyday territory within the relationship.

Separated territory

Mixed territory

Shared territory

0 – 3: Separated territory | 4 – 7: Mixed territory | 8 – 10: Shared territory

A score of 2 suggests the couple tends to keep personal space and day-to-day territory relatively separate rather than openly shared.

example score

11/13

Physical Distance (PD)

Measures the degree of physical closeness between spouses, including comfort with touch and time spent together.

Low physical closeness

Moderate physical closeness

High physical closeness

0 – 4: Low physical closeness | 5 – 9: Moderate physical closeness | 10 – 13: High physical closeness

A score of 11 falls in the High physical closeness range, suggesting strong comfort with physical intimacy and shared physical presence.

example score

8/69

Overall Closeness (OC)

Measures overall psychological intimacy and perceived harmony between spouses across key areas of the relationship.

Low closeness

Moderate closeness

High closeness

0 – 27: Low closeness | 28 – 50: Moderate closeness | 51 – 69: High closeness

A score of 8 falls in the Low closeness range, suggesting a relatively high degree of psychological distance and limited emotional connection across the measured areas.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Couples feeling emotionally distant

41%OF USERS

Partners who sense growing detachment or frequent misunderstandings take it to pinpoint where closeness has weakened.

Couples in counseling or workshops

34%OF USERS

Spouses working with a therapist or in a relationship program use it to identify specific tension areas and track progress.

Newlyweds and life-transition couples

25%OF USERS

Couples adjusting to changes like a new baby, relocation, or career stress take it to check alignment on boundaries, plans, and support.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Distance of Values (DoV)

Average

14.2

Normal range

11.5 — 17

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Social distance (Sd)

Average

7.6

Normal range

5.3 — 9.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

The Distance of Temporal Habits (TDoTH)

Average

2.3

Normal range

1.5 — 3.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Personal space (Ps)

Average

5.5

Normal range

4.1 — 7

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Distance of the territory (Dott)

Average

7.4

Normal range

5.6 — 9.2

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Physical Body Distance (PBD)

Average

5.2

Normal range

2.9 — 7.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Overall closeness score (Ocs)

Average

21.3

Normal range

11.3 — 31.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

You are invited to participate in a survey on issues facing the contemporary family. Please read each pair of statements carefully and select the one that best reflects your views. There are no “good” or “bad” statements; all describe aspects of modern family life in different ways—some may fit certain families and not others. Please try to recall or imagine what is characteristic of your family.

- A) It is hurtful if one spouse forgets to congratulate the other on their shared anniversary.
- B) It is inevitable that some dates may be forgotten; this does not mean there is no love.
- A) Most married people always feel like the master of the house, even if relatives live with them.
- B) Many married people like to get up earlier than others because only then do they feel as if they are alone in the home and feel like the master of the house.
- A) It is quite possible to eat without waiting for the family to gather at the table.
- B) Eating lunch alone is very difficult; I cannot eat a bite.

These are 3 of the 69 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Marital Psychological Distance Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

family adaptation

family

This measure is designed to assess perceived closeness versus separation within a couple relationship. The Marital Psychological Distance Scale provides a structured self-report approach to characterizing relational distance across multiple domains of marital functioning.

Originally developed by C. E. Christensen and J. H. Larson, it includes 69 items and typically requires about 13 minutes to complete. Item content broadly samples areas commonly implicated in marital adjustment (e.g., emotional connection, perceived support, boundaries, and shared activities), supporting clinically focused discussion of where partners experience alignment or strain.

The Marital Psychological Distance Scale can be used in clinical or psychoeducational settings to facilitate case conceptualization and to help identify potential targets for intervention, while results should be interpreted in the context of additional assessment data and the couple’s presenting concerns.

Author: C. E. Christensen, J. H. Larson

Literature: Spanier, G. B. Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 1976.