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Fear of Intimacy Scale: Validation and Extension with Adolescents

University of Missouri-Columbia

Mark H. Thelen

University of Missouri-Columbia

This study was designed to validate the Fear-of-Intimacy Scale (FIS) (Descutner & Thelen, 1991) with an adolescent population, with reference to both the measure's original target, a dating partner (FIS-D) and a new target of the closest same-sex friend (FIS-F). High-school sophomores (158 males and 167 females) completed questionnaires pertaining to their relationships. Strong psychometric properties of both the FIS-D and FIS-F were evidenced in this study, and construct validity was supported by associations with related constructs (e.g. loneliness) and self-report items. Notable sex differences emerged, in that males reported higher fear of intimacy in their same-sex friendships, while females indicated higher fear of intimacy in their dating relationships.

Key Words: adolescence • friendship • intimacy

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 13, No. 4, 507-521 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/0265407596134002


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