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Development and Validation of the Horizontal Relational Ethics Scale (HRES): A Contextual Family Therapy-Based Measure

Ahmet Altınok, İbrahim Keklik

Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy — via OpenAlex · September 21, 2026

• Trust Rebuilding
• Couples Therapy
• Clinical Research

Relational ethics, the core construct of contextual family therapy, concerns the give-and-take balance partners build through fairness, trust, and reciprocity. No validated self-report measure of horizontal (partner-level) relational ethics has been available in Turkish. This study developed and tested the Horizontal Relational Ethics Scale (HRES). Exploratory factor analysis (N = 468) with Promax rotation produced a 40-item, four-factor structure (49.82% variance): Balanced–Trustworthy, Entitlement–Giver, Entitlement–Receiver, and Entitlement–Destructive. Confirmatory factor analysis (N = 364, MLR) supported a 38-item model with mixed fit indicators; robust CFI = .87 and TLI = .86 fell below the conventional .90 criterion, whereas robust RMSEA = .054 and SRMR = .089 fell within conventional thresholds. Subscale reliabilities (α, ω) ranged from .71 to .92.Registration: ata is registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/fcesy/

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