Development and psychometric properties of a scale for the measurement of rapport

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the development and initial evaluation of a new measure of the quality of relationships between people with intellectual disabilities and their supporters.

Design/methodology/approach: An earlier observational measure was simplified to produce the rapport rating scale (RRS). Some psychometric characteristics of the RRS were evaluated through the rating, by three independent groups of participants, of videos depicting good, poor and neutral rapport.

Findings: Internal consistency of RRS ratings was high, and highly significant differences in RRS total scores were found between groups.

Originality/value: There exist a limited range of measures of rapport. While further testing is required, the RRS provides an additional measure that may be of particular use in accessing the relationship preferences of individuals with more severe intellectual disabilities.