Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI) is a 58-item measure of psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners. The scale can be adapted to be used for males with female partners by adjusting the pronouns. Two subscales are covered in this measure: dominance-isolation and emotional-verbal abuse.
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adults
1. My partner put down my physical appearance.
2. My partner insulted me or shamed me in front of others.
3. My partner treated me like I was stupid.
4. My partner was insensitive to my feelings.
5. My partner told me I couldn't manage or take care of myself without him.
6. My partner put down my care of the children.
7. My partner criticized the way I took care of the house.
8. My partner said something to spite me.
9. My partner brought up something from the past to hurt me.
10. My partner called me names.
11. My partner swore at me.
12. My partner yelled and screamed at me.
13. My partner treated me like an inferior.
14. My partner sulked or refused to talk about a problem.
15. My partner stomped out of the house or yard during a disagreement.
16. My partner gave me the silent treatment or acted as if I wasn't there.
17. My partner withheld affection from me.
18. My partner did not let me talk about my feelings.
19. My partner was insensitive to my sexual needs and desires.
20. My partner demanded obedience to his whims.
21. My partner became upset if dinner, housework, or laundry was not done when he thought it should be.
22. My partner acted like I was his personal servant.
23. My partner did not do a fair share of household tasks.
24. My partner did not do a fair share of child care.
25. My partner ordered me around.
26. My partner monitored my time and made me account for where I was.
27. My partner was stingy in giving me money to run our home.
28. My partner acted irresponsibly with our financial resources.
29. My partner did not contribute enough to supporting our family.
30. My partner used our money or made important financial decisions without talking to me about it.
31. My partner kept me from getting medical care that I needed.
32. My partner was jealous or suspicious of my friends.
33. My partner was jealous of other men.
34. My partner did not want me to go to school or other self-improvement activities.
35. My partner did not want me to socialize with my female friends.
36. My partner accused me of having an affair with another man.
37. My partner demanded that I stay home and take care of the children.
38. My partner tried to keep me from seeing or talking to my family.
39. My partner interfered in my relationships with other family members.
40. My partner tried to keep me from doing things to help myself.
41. My partner restricted my use of the care.
42. My partner restricted my use of the telephone.
43. My partner did not allow me to go out of the house when I wanted to go.
44. My partner refused to let me work outside of the home.
45. My partner told me my feelings were irrational or crazy.
46. My partner blamed me for his problems.
47. My partner tried to turn our family, friends, and children against me.
48. My partner blamed me for causing his violence behavior.
49. My partner tried to make me feel like I was crazy.
50. My partner's moods changed radically, from calm to angry, or vice versa.
51. My partner blamed me when he was upset about something, even when it had nothing to do with me.
52. My partner tried to convince my friends, family, or children that I was crazy.
53. My partner threatened to hurt himself if I left him.
54. My partner threatened to hurt himself if I didn't do what he wanted me to do.
55. My partner threatened to have an affair with someone else.
56. My partner threatened to leave the relationship.
57. My partner threatened to take the children away from me.
58. My partner threatened to have me committed to a mental institution.
Response Options:
5-point Likert scale
Never - 1
Very frequently - 5
The mean of each subscale is calculated.
Tolman, R. M. (1989). The development of a measure of psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners. Violence and Victims, 4(3), 159-177.
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