The oral history rating scale--revised: preliminary evaluation of a clinician-rated measure of divorce potential

This study was a preliminary psychometric investigation of the Oral History Rating Scale-Revised (OHRS-R), a therapist-rated measure of married couples' divorce potential based a 90-min oral history interview. Findings suggest the OHRS-R shows promise as a clinical tool. Therapist and observing raters' total OHRS-R scores demonstrated high interrater reliability and discriminated from client reports of psychological functioning (Outcome Questionnaire-45.2) and marital satisfaction (Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale). Therapist OHRS-R ratings showed evidence of construct validity. Convergence between therapist OHRS-R ratings and a client-reported measure of divorce risk (Marital Status Inventory) was relatively low. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm predictive validity. KEYWORDS. Divorce risk, marital dissolution, couple clinical assessment, oral history interview