Measuring relationship strength in roommates with MR/DD: the development of the Roommate Friendship Scale (RFS).

Most people with mental retardation who live in government-funded housing have roommates. Roommate relationships are significant determinants of quality of life, but current methods of roommate selection generally do not prioritize roommate compatibility. One problem is that inadequate research has been conducted on roommate relationships.

Compatibility of housemates with mental retardation.

We evaluated the relevance of Reiss's (2000) empirically derived system of basic motives and values for understanding the incompatibility of housemates in publicly funded residential programs for people with mental retardation. The compatible group consisted of 57 dyads who had lived without significant conflict in the same residential unit; the incompatible group consisted of 36 dyads who were separated by caregivers because of frequent conflict and complaint. As predicted, dissimilarity of basic motives and values was associated with housemate incompatibility.