Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 M.A. Student in General Psychology, University of Arak, Arak, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Arak, Arak, Iran
3 PhD in Measurement and Assesment, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Childhood emotional abuse is a covert yet highly impactful form of child maltreatment that can lead to enduring adverse consequences for mental health. The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Childhood Emotional Abuse Questionnaire (Goodall & Sawrikar, 2023) within an Iranian population. This research employed a descriptive design and was conducted as a psychometric study. The study population consisted of all adults aged 18 years and older residing in Qom city in 2025, from whom 444 participants were selected using convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Childhood Emotional Abuse Questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Data were analyzed using R software (version 4.3.1) with the mirt, psychometric, and psych packages, as well as Amos software (version 24). Results based on Classical Test Theory indicated that most items of the questionnaire, except for Item 8, demonstrated satisfactory item–total correlations and adequate discriminative power. Moreover, significant and positive correlations between the questionnaire items and criterion variables provided strong evidence for the convergent validity of the instrument, whereas Item 8 consistently showed a markedly weaker pattern of associations. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original two-factor structure of the questionnaire following the removal of Item 8. Reliability indices further indicated acceptable internal consistency of the collected data. Additionally, Item Response Theory analyses revealed that, with the exception of Item 8, all items exhibited desirable threshold parameters, discrimination indices, and factor loadings. Examination of the test information function showed that the questionnaire provides the highest level of information and the lowest measurement error within the latent trait range of −2 to +4. Overall, these findings suggest that the Childhood Emotional Abuse Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing childhood emotional abuse in the Iranian population.
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