NCJ Number
180643
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: December 1999 Pages: 399-415
Date Published
1999
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study describes the development and preliminary validation of a new partner abuse screening questionnaire (Composite Abuse Scale).
Abstract
The lack of definitional consistency about domestic violence and the absence of a well-validated comprehensive abuse screening questionnaire have been major methodological flaws in domestic violence research. This study presents a new partner abuse screening questionnaire that includes items measuring the three areas of partner abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual) extracted from four published scales: the Conflict Tactics Scale, Measure of Wife Abuse, Inventory of Spouse Abuse and Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory. A survey using these items was sent to all nurses working at a large public inner-city teaching hospital in Australia. Factor analyses of the responses of 427 participants revealed four dimensions: Severe Combined Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, and Harassment. The study presents preliminary evidence on validity and reports a high scale reliability for each subscale. Tables, references