Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Shackelford, Todd K.

Abstract

I present the development and initial validation of a new measure designed to assess the specific content of insults used by men against their intimate partners. I used feedback from battered women, along with a review of the relevant literature, to identify specific insults for inclusion in the Partner-Directed Insults Scale (PDIS) (Preliminary Study). I administered the PDIS to a sample of United States participants (Study 1) and a sample of New Zealand participants (Study 2), allowing for a cross-national investigation of the specific insults that men use to derogate their partners. The results demonstrate the practical need for such a scale and provide evidence for the discriminant validity of the PDIS by documenting that men's use of insults predicts their use of controlling behaviors and physical violence. It is this predictive utility that makes the PDIS a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians alike.

Extent

76 p.

Comments

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2006.|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Identifier

FA00000826

Format

pdf

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