Description

The Abuse Within Intimate Relationships Scale (AIRS) is a psychometric tool developed to assess abuse within intimate relationships. This instrument examines various forms of abuse—including physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse—with the aim of understanding and documenting the frequency and intensity of abuse individuals may experience in close relationships.

Purpose

The purpose of AIRS is to measure the extent and types of abuse that occur in intimate relationships. This assessment can aid in understanding the dynamics of abuse, identifying victims, and developing interventions to support and protect individuals experiencing abuse. Data from AIRS can be utilized by psychologists, social workers, counselors, and researchers to promote safety and well-being in intimate relationships.

Analysis

AIRS includes a series of statements that evaluate experiences of abuse across several dimensions:
Physical Abuse: Assesses the frequency and severity of physical violence, such as hitting, pushing, or injury.
Emotional Abuse: Measures the frequency and severity of emotional violence, such as humiliation, threats, and degradation.
Psychological Abuse: Evaluates psychological pressure and intimidation, including control, jealousy, and isolation.
Sexual Abuse: Assesses sexual violence, such as coercion into sexual acts without consent.
Participants are asked to respond to statements using a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 = Never to 5 = Very Often).
The analysis of the results includes:
Score Calculation: Responses are summed for each dimension of abuse to calculate total scores.
Score Interpretation: Scores are compared to normative data to determine the extent and severity of abuse experienced. Higher scores indicate greater frequency and intensity of abuse.
Statistical Analysis: Additional analysis may be conducted to explore relationships between abuse experiences and other factors, such as mental health, quality of life, and social support.

Calibration

The calibration of AIRS is conducted through studies on large and diverse samples in order to establish normative data and ensure the tool’s reliability and validity. Scores are standardized to allow for reliable comparisons across different populations and subgroups.

References

Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised conflict tactics scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283–316.
Marshall, L. L. (1992). Development of the Severity of Violence Against Women Scales. Journal of Family Violence, 7(2), 103–121.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hegarty, K., Sheehan, M., & Schonfeld, C. (1999). A multidimensional definition of partner abuse: Development and preliminary validation of the Composite Abuse Scale. Journal of Family Violence, 14(4), 399–415.
Garcia-Moreno, C., Jansen, H. A., Ellsberg, M., Heise, L., & Watts, C. H. (2006). Prevalence of intimate partner violence: Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. The Lancet, 368(9543), 1260–1269.