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Development and Validation of the Psychological Abuse in Relationships Scale
Elizabeth Veronica-Mary McLindon1,2, Cynthia Brown1, Mandy McKenzie1
1The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|April 3, 2025
Summary
A new scale effectively measures psychological abuse in relationships, a common form of intimate partner violence (IPV). This tool aids researchers in identifying and understanding the prevalence and impact of this harmful abuse.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Criminology
- Sociology
Background:
- Psychological abuse is a prevalent subtype of intimate partner violence (IPV).
- Existing measures of psychological abuse lack consistency, hindering accurate prevalence and impact assessment.
- Psychological abuse causes significant harm, including loss of agency and entrapment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a new, comprehensive measure of psychological abuse victimization and impact.
- To address inconsistencies in conceptualization and measurement of psychological abuse.
- To improve the identification of psychological intimate partner violence.
Main Methods:
- Development of the Psychological Abuse in Relationships Scale (PARS).
- Survey administered to 765 adult women in Australia assessing 31 psychologically abusive behaviors.
- Exploratory factor analysis used to establish scale reliability and validity.
Main Results:
- The PARS comprises 20 items across four factors: Severe Psychological Abuse, Coercive Emotional Abuse, Restrictive Isolating Abuse, and Financial Abuse.
- Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.73 to 0.85, indicating good internal consistency.
- The scale explained 57.2% of the variance, demonstrating robust psychometric properties.
Conclusions:
- The Psychological Abuse in Relationships Scale is a reliable and valid measure of psychological IPV.
- This new scale offers a concise and comprehensive tool for researchers.
- Improved measurement will enhance understanding of psychological abuse prevalence, patterns, and impact.
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