Friendship Qualities Scale

Abstract

The Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS) is a widely used psychometric instrument designed to assess the subjective quality of dyadic friendship relationships, particularly during pre- and early adolescence. Developed by Bukowski, Hoza, and Boivin in 1994, the scale moves beyond simple measures of friendship presence or stability to quantify the specific characteristics and dynamics of the relationship. It captures both the positive aspects (such as help, companionship, and closeness) and the negative aspects (such as conflict and security concerns), providing a nuanced understanding of peer relationships critical for social development.

Keywords

Friendship Qualities Scale, FQS, Adolescence, Peer Relationships, Social Development, Dyadic Relationships, Friendship Quality, Psychometrics, Companionship, Conflict.

Authors

William M. Bukowski, Betsy Hoza, Michel Boivin

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Friendship Qualities Scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust tool for measuring the specific dimensions of quality within a nominated friendship. Unlike sociometric measures that focus on popularity or acceptance within a peer group, the FQS focuses exclusively on the perceived attributes of a single, existing relationship.

This instrument was created specifically to measure friendship quality during a developmentally sensitive period—pre- and early adolescence—when the nature of friendships shifts toward greater intimacy, complexity, and importance for self-concept development. The scale’s design allows for the differentiation of various relationship components, which is essential for examining how specific aspects of friendship relate to broader outcomes, such as adjustment, self-esteem, and mental health.

Construct

The Friendship Qualities Scale measures the psychological construct of Friendship Quality, conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct comprising both affiliative/supportive and antagonistic/negative characteristics. Friendship quality reflects the degree to which an individual perceives their relationship with a specific friend to possess certain beneficial or detrimental attributes.

The FQS operationalizes friendship quality through five distinct subscales, detailed below, which represent the core components of dyadic interaction during early adolescence: Companionship, Conflict, Closeness, Help/Support, and Security/Validation. By isolating these dimensions, researchers can analyze the unique contributions of positive and negative relationship features to developmental outcomes.

Validity

The original validation study by Bukowski, Hoza, and Boivin (1994) focused on establishing the psychometric properties of the FQS. Construct validity was supported by demonstrating that the FQS subscales correlate meaningfully with other established measures of social functioning and adjustment. For instance, positive qualities (Closeness, Help) are typically associated with better psychological adjustment, while negative qualities (Conflict) may relate to higher levels of behavioral problems or distress.

The structure of the FQS, based on the identified subscales, is theoretically grounded in developmental psychology literature regarding the changing nature of peer relationships during early adolescence, further supporting its theoretical validity.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the FQS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha for each subscale, demonstrating generally acceptable to good reliability across most dimensions in the original study.

The reported Cronbach alphas for the FQS subscales were:

• Companionship: .72
• Conflict: .68
• Closeness: .76
• Help: .81
• Security: .58

While the Help subscale demonstrated strong reliability (.81), and Companionship and Closeness showed good reliability, the Conflict (.68) and Security (.58) subscales exhibit slightly lower, though often acceptable, levels of internal consistency for research purposes, particularly given the specific age group and developmental nature of the constructs measured.

Factor Analysis

Although specific details of the factor analysis methodology (e.g., Exploratory vs. Confirmatory Factor Analysis) are not provided in the abstracted source content, the reporting of five distinct subscales strongly implies a five-factor structure underlying the 23 items. This structure separates the positive and negative aspects of friendship quality.

The five hypothesized factors (subscales) derived from the factor analysis are: Companionship, Conflict, Closeness, Help, and Security. This dimensional approach allows researchers to evaluate the independent impact of supportive versus problematic relationship dynamics.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Psychometric Scale

Format: 5-point Likert Scale response format, ranging from 1 = Not at all true, to 5 = Really true.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Children and Youth

Age Group: Pre- and Early Adolescence (typically ages 10 to 14)

Population Details: Respondents complete the questionnaire specifically about a nominated friend (dyadic assessment).

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to fill in a specific friend’s name and then rate 23 statements based on how true they are regarding that particular friendship. The instrument uses a “Friendship nominations” approach.

Keywords

Friendship, Peer Relations, Adolescence, Social Adjustment, Reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha, Psychometric Properties, Dyadic Assessment, Self-Report, Likert Scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Friendship Qualities Scale was initially published and validated in 1994. Information regarding current usage permissions and fees should be sought directly from the primary authors or the publisher of the originating journal, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. The instrument is often used freely for non-commercial academic research purposes. The original instrument can be found online at: http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/2494

Reference’s

• Bukowski, W.M., Hoza, B., & Boivin, M. (1994). Measuring friendship quality during pre- and early adolescence: The development and psychometric properties of the friendship qualities scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 471-484.
• Wojslawowicz. J. C. (2005). Public and private self-consciousness during early adolescence. Thesis (Ph. D.) — University of Maryland.

Items of the Friendship Qualities Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

I am completing this questionnaire about _____________________ . (Please fill in your friend’s first and last name)

1. My friend and I spend all our free time together.
2. I can get into fights with my friend.
3. If I forgot my lunch or needed a little money, my friend would loan it to me.
4. If I have a problem at school or at home, I can talk to my friend about it.
5. If my friend had to move away, I would miss him/her.
6. My friend thinks of fun things for us to do together.
7. My friend can bug me or annoy me even though I ask him/her not to.
8. My friend helps me when I am having trouble with something.
9. If there is something bothering me, I can tell my friend about it even if it is something I cannot tell to other people.
10. I feel happy when I am with my friend.
11. My friend and I go to each other’s houses after school and on weekends.
12. My friend and I can argue a lot.
13. My friend would help me if I needed it.
14. If I said I was sorry after I had a fight with my friend, he/she would still stay mad at me.
15. I think about my friend even when my friend is not around.
16. Sometimes my friend and I just sit around and talk about things like school, sports, and things we like.
17. My friend and I disagree about many things.
18. If other kids were bothering me, my friend would help me.
19. If my friend or I do something that bothers the other one of us, we can make up easily.
20. When I do a good job at something, my friend is happy for me.
21. My friend would stick up for me if another kid was causing me trouble.
22. If my friend and I have a fight or argument, we can say “I’m sorry” and everything will be alright.
23. Sometimes my friend does things for me, or makes me feel special.