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Sternberg’s Triangular Love Scale national study of psychometric attributes

Even though Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale (STLS) has been increasingly used in Brazilian research, all the relevant studies have been conducted at a state level. The objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric attributes of the scale at a national level. The STLS was applied to a sample of 1,549 participants from 13 Brazilian states. The results suggest that STLS is an excellent test, with the three-factor structure predicted by the theory and a high level of reliability (α = 0.98). The Item Response Theory showed that STLS has highly discriminative items, assessing a large share of the population, although low difficulty was applied. We suggest keeping complex items in the scale in order to maintain a reliable and valid measure of love.

Love; Intimacy; Passion; Factor Analysis; Item Response Theory


Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia Av.Bandeirantes 3900 - Monte Alegre, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel.: (55 16) 3315-3829 - Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil
E-mail: paideia@usp.br