Construction and Standardization of the Indian Fear of Relationship Commitment Scale (IFRC-17)

The present study aimed to construct and validate the Indian Fear of Relationship Commitment Scale (IFRC-17), the importance given to marriage arrangements, and joint family systems, the scale was culturally adapted and pilot tested among young, unmarried Indian adults. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected from 742 participants across university students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the sturdiness of the four-factor structure of the Indian adaptation of the Fear of Relationship Commitment Scale (IFRC-17), which reflects (1) negative perception of self and relationship, (2) fear of emotional and financial dependence, (3) marital anxiety, and (4) prioritization of family over romantic partners. The scale showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach?s ? = 0.793). Higher social phobia (? = 0.073) and general trust (? = 0.271) were positively associated with fear of commitment, while higher self-esteem (? = ?0.275) was associated negatively. The IFRC-17 is culturally sensitive and valid and reliable and can serve as an efficient measure for assessing relational anxiety and commitment avoidance in Indian populations in both research and clinical settings.