Developing and validating the deadly habits in marriage scale: a choice Theory-Based measure of destructive relational behaviors

This study developed and validated the Deadly Habits in Marriage Scale (DHMS), a Likert-type scale grounded in Choice Theory, which posits that behaviors are self-determined to meet innate psychological needs (e.g., love, power, freedom). Deadly habits—destructive behaviors stemming from external control psychology—undermine marital relationships. Using two independent samples of married individuals in Türkiye (N = 483; N = 314), the DHMS was developed in Turkish through item generation, content validation, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability assessment, and criterion-related validity evaluation. From an initial 45-item pool, EFA identified a five-factor structure—criticizing, blaming, complaining, threatening, and punishing—collapsing seven theoretical habits (including nagging and rewarding to control) into 37 empirically validated items due to overlapping behavioral patterns (e.g., nagging merged with complaining). CFA confirmed this structure, with internal consistency coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.90 for subscales and 0.94 overall. The DHMS showed convergent and discriminant validity and negative correlations with marital satisfaction (r=-0.43, p < 0.001) and dyadic trust (r=-0.54, p < 0.001). This reliable and valid tool assesses destructive relational patterns in Turkish marriages, offering applications in clinical practice, marital counseling, and social psychology research. Its potential for cross-cultural adaptation enhances global relevance, with future validation needed for diverse populations. The DHMS provides a robust framework for understanding and addressing maladaptive behaviors in marriage, advancing Choice Theory’s empirical application.