Psychometric properties of the Wife Abuse Inventory

It is estimated that approximately 50% of all married couples experience violence during their relationship (Lewis, 1985). The present study (N = 305) investigated the psychometric properties of the Wife Abuse Inventory (WAI), which was designed to identify women at risk for abuse. The WAI was found to be internally consistent, and evidence was obtained for the validity of the WAI as an indicator of the potential for being abused by one's spouse. A factor analysis indicated that the WAI measures two main factors, emotional and physical abuse, and a moderate correlation between the WAI and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory also was obtained. The WAI has potential for use as a screening inventory in the identification of women at risk. Language: en