Citation

Gagne MH, Lavoie F, Fortin A. Can. J. Behav. Sci. 2003; 35(4): 268-280.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Canadian Psychological Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper reports the development of the Psychologically Violent Parental Practices Inventory (PVPPI), designed to measure the psychological maltreatment of children and youths in family settings, an issue for which there are few reliable, valid, and conceptually exhaustive measures available. Most existing measures are designed to be used retrospectively, while others are directed at parents. The developing PVPPI is a self-report questionnaire directed at 10- to 17-year-old youths. The original 43-item version was tested with a convenience sample of 306 girls and boys recruited from classes in 5th to 9th grade (mean AGE = 12.6 years old). Factor analyses suggested a two-factor structure, entitled Excessive Harshness (22 items) and Parental Disorganization (10 items). The total 32-item score, as well as the two subscales, showed good construct validity, and satisfactory internal consistency. PVPPI appears to be a promising tool that could find practical as well as scientific applications, for instance in psychological violence prevention and screening.