The Control in Dating Relationships Scale (CDRS) is a 12-item scale regarding the frequency of controlling behaviors experienced in adolescent dating relationships in the past 12 months. The scale contains 2 subscales, Isolation and Domination and can inform dating violence prevention programs among youth.
Geographies Tested: Canada
Populations Included: Female, Male, Transgender, Other
Age Range: Adolescents
Isolation
1. [. . .] made me feel guilty for spending time with my friends or family instead of with him/her.
2. [. . .] got mad at me for hanging out with someone he/she didn’t like or of whom he/she was jealous.
3. [. . .] got angry when I went out with my friends without him/her (e.g., to a party, dinner).
4. [. . .] kept me from establishing relationships with people around me.
5. [. . .] told me that I didn’t spend enough time with him/her to make me feel bad.
Domination
6. [. . .] decided who I could or could not hang out with.
7. I feared that if I upset [. . .], he/she would break up with me.
8. [. . .] made me feel guilty by blaming me for all our relationship problems.
9. I was careful not to upset [. . .] because I feared his/her short temper.
10. To get what he/she wanted, [. . .] threatened to break up with me.
11. [. . .] ignored me so that I would feel guilty and change my behavior.
12. When we had a disagreement, [. . .] imposed his/her view of things on me.
Response Options:
4-point Likert scale
Never - 1
Often (6 times or more) - 4
The mean score of the scale is computed.
De Sousa, D., Paradis, A., Fortin, A., Fernet, M., Hébert, M., & Godbout, N. (2025). Development and validation of a scale to measure controlling behaviors in adolescent dating relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0(0), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605251355980
Psychometric Score
Ease of Use Score
Qualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
Internal
Test-retest
Interrater
Content
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
Readability
Scoring Clarity
Length
to get the latest updates on new measures and guidance for survey researchers