Relationship adjustment report
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Brief 14-item relationship check-in for agreement, satisfaction, and cohesion over the last six months.

  • Answer each item using its original RDAS response scale.
  • The finished report keeps the overall cutoff view and weaker relationship domain on one page.
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Share result

Share this result page with someone you trust to review your answers and result.

What this result suggests

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Practical adjustments
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Current score lane
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Domain read

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Consensus reflects agreement on decisions and values, satisfaction reflects conflict strain and stability, and cohesion reflects shared activity, discussion, and teamwork.

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Higher and lower scored items

Higher rows show the parts of the relationship that are currently doing more stabilizing work. Lower rows show the items that are making the total feel thinner.

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Answer review

Scoring note: Item 11 keeps its published 0 to 4 scale, which is why the RDAS total tops out at 69 rather than 70.

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Relationship adjustment describes how well two people are functioning as a couple, not just how happy one partner feels on a good or bad day. It combines agreement on important choices, the amount of conflict or regret in the relationship, and the everyday connection that comes from shared activities, calm discussion, and practical teamwork.

The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, or RDAS, is a 14-item self-report measure built from those three ideas. It is shorter than the original Dyadic Adjustment Scale, but it still separates the relationship into Consensus, Satisfaction, and Cohesion. That split matters because the same overall score can come from very different patterns. One couple may agree on major decisions but feel worn down by conflict. Another may enjoy time together while struggling to settle practical choices.

Domain What it covers Common sign of strain
Consensus Agreement about values, affection, time together, goals, and major decisions. Recurring arguments about the same unresolved choices.
Satisfaction Conflict strain, regret, irritation, and thoughts about ending the relationship. Quarrelling, resentment, or instability carrying more weight than daily goodwill.
Cohesion Shared interests, laughter, calm discussion, and working together. A relationship that still functions but feels less connected or less cooperative.

A total RDAS score is useful as a screening signal because it gives one number on a 0 to 69 range, with 48 commonly used as the cutoff between distressed and non-distressed ranges. The number should still be read as a starting point. A score just above 48 can hide a weak domain, and a score below 48 can still contain a stronger area that helps guide repair work.

RDAS score path showing the 0 to 69 total, the 48 cutoff, and the three domain totals

RDAS answers are best treated as a snapshot of a recent relationship pattern, not a full explanation of the relationship. The result is most helpful when both the time frame and the situation are clear. Comparing a calm period with a period after a major loss, move, illness, or separation can make a point change look more precise than it really is.

The scale also cannot judge safety, coercion, abuse, or whether a relationship should continue. Fear, threats, violence, stalking, control, or urgent disruption needs real-world support and safety planning before any questionnaire score is allowed to shape decisions.

How to Use This Tool:

Complete one pass through the 14 questions, then read the score together with the domain pattern.

  1. Select Start assessment. Answer each item from your current view of the relationship over the last six months.
  2. Read the response labels before choosing. Agreement items, strain items, the outside-interests item, and frequency items do not all use the same wording.
  3. Use the question navigator to return to earlier answers. The progress bar and completion marks show how many of the 14 items are finished.
  4. When every item has an answer, start with Overall level, the Total score, and the cutoff distance. These show whether the total is below, at, or above 48.
  5. Read Lowest-function area, Better-function anchor, and Top burden before drawing a broad conclusion. They point to the domain and item that most deserve follow-up.
  6. If the report does not appear, return to the navigator and look for the item without a completion mark. The relationship adjustment dial, domain radar, score lane, domain cards, and answer review appear only after all 14 answers are present.

Interpreting Results:

Use Overall level as the first read, then check Lowest-function area and Top burden. A total below 48 falls in the distressed range. A total of 48 or higher falls in the non-distressed range. Scores within three points of 48 deserve a slower read because one answer can move the result close to the boundary.

A non-distressed result does not mean every part of the relationship is strong. A distressed result does not mean every part is weak. Compare the domain cards and answer review so the follow-up conversation names the specific disagreement, conflict pattern, or missing connection rather than arguing about the label alone.

Output cue How to read it What to verify
Total score 0 to 47 Distressed range under the 48-point cutoff. Check the weakest domain and lowest-scored item before making the concern broader.
Total score 48 to 69 Non-distressed range under the same cutoff. Look for a weak domain, especially if the score is only a few points above 48.
Lowest-function area The domain with the lowest percentage of its own maximum. Compare it with Top burden and the answer review to identify the exact item driving concern.
Relationship domain radar A visual check of balance across Consensus, Satisfaction, and Cohesion. A wide gap means the total may hide a sharper domain-specific problem.

Technical Details:

RDAS preserves the main structure of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale while reducing the item count to 14. Its three domains are not independent diagnoses. They are grouped score areas that help explain why the total moved up or down: agreement on important matters, satisfaction with the stability and conflict climate of the relationship, and cohesion through shared behavior.

After responses are keyed, higher points always represent better relationship adjustment. The agreement items award more points for more agreement. The strain items award more points when separation thoughts, quarrelling, regret, and irritation are less frequent. Cohesion combines one outside-interests item capped at 4 points with three 0 to 5 frequency items, which is why the total maximum is 69 rather than 70.

Formula Core

The total score is the sum of the three domain totals.

T=C+S+H C=∑i=16xi S=∑i=710xi H=∑i=1114xi

Here T is the 0 to 69 total, C is Consensus, S is Satisfaction, H is Cohesion, and each xi is one keyed item score. For example, Consensus 24, Satisfaction 11, and Cohesion 15 produce Total score 50/69, which is two points above the 48-point cutoff.

Domain Items Scoring frame Range
Consensus 1 to 6 Agreement items scored 0 to 5, with higher scores meaning more agreement. 0 to 30
Satisfaction 7 to 10 Strain-frequency items scored 0 to 5, keyed so less strain gives more points. 0 to 20
Cohesion 11 to 14 Shared activity and connection, with item 11 capped at 4 points. 0 to 19
Total RDAS 1 to 14 Sum of all keyed item scores. 0 to 69

The headline cutoff uses a whole-number rule: totals below 48 are treated as distressed, and totals of 48 or higher are treated as non-distressed. Later reliable-change work estimated a 47.31 cutoff and an 11.58-point reliable change index. Those estimates support treating 48 as a practical boundary while remembering that repeated-score changes need size, context, and domain movement before they carry much meaning.

Rule Boundary Meaning
Distressed range T < 48 The total is below the conventional relationship distress cutoff.
Non-distressed range T >= 48 The total clears the conventional cutoff, although weak domains can still matter.
Near-cutoff margin Within 3 points of 48 The domain pattern should weigh almost as much as the headline label.
Descriptive domain label 0% to 33%, 34% to 66%, 67% to 100% Domain cards label lower percentages as higher burden, middle percentages as mixed, and higher percentages as better function.

The domain percentages are descriptive aids, not separate clinical cutoffs. They divide each domain by its own maximum, so 12/20 in Satisfaction and 18/30 in Consensus both read as 60% of their domain maximum even though the raw point totals are different.

Responsible Use Note:

RDAS is an informational relationship screen, not a clinical diagnosis, safety assessment, or instruction about whether to stay in a relationship. If answers sit alongside fear, coercion, threats, violence, stalking, or serious instability, use trusted personal, clinical, legal, or emergency support instead of relying on a questionnaire result.

Worked Examples:

Strong total with one softer domain. A completed run with Consensus 26/30, Satisfaction 10/20, and Cohesion 16/19 gives a Total score of 52/69 and an Overall level of Non-distressed. The result clears the cutoff, but Lowest-function area would point to Satisfaction, so conflict strain deserves the first review.

One point below the cutoff. A profile with Consensus 23/30, Satisfaction 9/20, and Cohesion 15/19 totals 47/69. The Overall level is Distressed, but the one-point distance from 48 means the domain cards and Top burden should shape the follow-up more than the label alone.

Missing answer recovery. If the progress label still reads 13 / 14 answered, the report remains hidden. Use the question navigator to find the item without a completion mark, answer it, and then review Total score, Lowest-function area, the relationship adjustment dial, and the answer review together.

FAQ:

Does a score below 48 mean the relationship cannot improve?

No. It means the RDAS total is in the distressed range. Use Lowest-function area, Top burden, and the domain cards to make the concern specific.

Why is the maximum score 69?

Thirteen items can contribute up to 5 points, while the outside-interests item contributes up to 4 points. That creates a total range of 0 to 69.

Can I compare this result with an older score?

Yes, but compare it only with another RDAS result from a similar time frame and relationship context. A change of a few points can reflect timing, stress, or answer variation rather than real movement.

What should I do if the report does not appear?

Check the progress label and question navigator. The result appears only after all 14 items have an answer, so one blank item keeps the score, charts, and answer review hidden.

Are my answers sent to a scoring server?

Scoring runs in your browser after the page loads. A copied result link can include your encoded answers, and exported files can include the answer review, so handle shared links and downloads as private relationship notes.

Glossary:

Dyadic adjustment
How well two partners function together across agreement, satisfaction, and connection.
Consensus
The RDAS domain covering agreement about decisions, values, affection, time together, and goals.
Satisfaction
The RDAS domain covering conflict strain, regret, irritation, and relationship stability.
Cohesion
The RDAS domain covering shared activity, laughter, calm discussion, and practical teamwork.
Cutoff
The score boundary used to separate distressed and non-distressed RDAS totals.
Reliable change index
A research estimate for how large a repeated-score shift should be before it is less likely to be measurement noise alone.

References: