NCJ Number
138598
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1992) Pages: 350-364
Date Published
1992
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory was modified and used to assess the occurrence of psychological abuse in the dating relationships of 1,625 college-age males and females.
Abstract
Six reliable factors were extracted from the scale to reflect positive behaviors, diminishment of self-esteem, verbal abuse, social and emotional control, jealousy, and withdrawal. Males involved in a relationship at the time the questionnaire was administered reported higher levels of psychological abuse and fewer positive behaviors than did females; however, the occurrence of psychologically abusive behaviors within a relationship was likely to result in a lower relationship-satisfaction rating for both males and females. In addition, women in more formally committed relationships were most likely to report psychological abuse. The termination of a relationship was associated with an absence of positive behaviors rather than with a high frequency of negative behaviors. The findings that women in more formally committed relationships tend to remain with their partner despite high levels of psychological abuse parallels findings on battering. 2 tables, 3 figures, and 24 references