The Gender-Based Household Maltreatment (GBHM) scale is a 25-item measure of forms of maltreatment of women from both husbands and in-laws that cover six domains: economic control, medical care impairment, lack of domestic support, child neglect, physical care impairment, and physical control. The GBHM scale includes 11 items that are asked separately for Husbands and In-laws and three additional items.
Geographies Tested: India
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
About Husband
1. Did your husband force you to bring money or other things from your parents’ home?
2. Did your husband interfere in your ability to get health care for yourself?
3. Did your husband interfere in your ability to get health care for your children?
4. Did your husband stop you from getting enough food for yourself?
5. Did your husband stop you from getting enough food for your children?
6. Did your husband stop you from getting the rest you needed?
7. Did your husband attempt to stop you from going to your natal home for the birth?
8. Did your husband pressure you to have an abortion?
9. Did your husband treat you badly for not having a boy child?
10. Did your husband stop you from taking care of your children?
11. Did your husband neglectignore your baby?
About In-laws
12. Did your in-laws force you to bring money or other things from your parents’ home?
13. Did your in-laws interfere in your ability to get health care for yourself?
14. Did your in-laws interfere in your ability to get health care for your children?
15. Did your in-laws stop you from getting enough food for yourself?
16. Did your in-laws stop you from getting enough food for your children?
17. Did your in-laws stop you from getting the rest you needed?
18. Did your in-laws attempt to stop you from going to your natal home for the birth?
19. Did your in-laws pressure you to have an abortion?
20. Did your in-laws treat you badly for not having a boy child?
21. Did your in-laws stop you from taking care of your children?
22. Did your in-laws neglectignore your baby?
23. Did you ever feel that you needed help to care for your elder children from your husband but didn’t receive it?
24. Did anyone assist you to prepare all the meals for the household?
25. Did anyone assist you to perform all cleaning work for the household?
Response Options:*
Yes
No
* Numeric codes for the Response Options above were not provided in the original manuscript.
Endorsed items are summed together (1 point each). The total can be scored separately for perinatal (7 total points possible), pregnancy (9 total points possible) and postpartum (7 total points possible). The scale can also be calculated with all 25 items to assess total GBHM. Higher scores indicate greater levels of maltreatment.
Ritter, J., Dasgupta, A., Raj, A., Decker, M. R., Nair, S., Trivedi, A., ... & Silverman, J. G. (2019). Measuring gender-based household maltreatment in urban slums of Mumbai, India. Journal of interpersonal violence, 0886260519864370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519864370
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