Adaptation and Validation of the Dyadic Trust Scale in the Chinese Context

Trust is fundamental to forming, maintaining, and repairing close relationships, yet no established instrument exists for assessing trust in Chinese close relationships, despite such measures being in place in Western contexts. We therefore adapted the widely used Dyadic Trust Scale (DTS) and examined its psychometric properties in two independent Chinese samples (Study 1: N = 204; Study 2: N = 377). Item analysis and EFA identified a two-factor structure, contrasting with the DTS’s usual unidimensional form in Western samples and suggesting cultural differences in trust conceptualisation. Item 1 was removed for weak loading and model misfit in CFA, yielding a final seven-item structure of Faith (five items) and Security (two items). CFA showed good fit (CFI = .98, TLI = .96, RMSEA = .09) alongside high internal consistency, good convergent and discriminant validity, and strong criterion validity with relationship satisfaction (total DTS: r = .69; Faith: r = .56; Security: r = .51; all ps < .001). This study provides the first adaptation and validation of the DTS in China; the adapted trust scale offers a brief, psychometrically robust assessment for use in research on Chinese close relationships and in therapeutic settings.