Assessing Maltreatment Status

Dear List serve members,

I am a graduate student at Capella University, currently finalizing my dissertation proposal that examines the differential outcomes of single versus multiple child abuse and neglect experiences. I intend to use the Comprehensive Child Maltreatment Scale (CCMS) for Adults (Higgins & McCabe, 2001) in order to assess abuse/non-abuse status in an Internet community sample. The CCMS is a retrospective self-report measure of childhood abuse and neglect experiences designed for a nonclinical population. The department chair of my specialization, who is not familiar with the child maltreatment literature, is concerned that the use of this measure may cause potential problems due to the sensitive nature of the questions. He is worried that participants may have adverse reactions to this questionnaire, and that potential legal ramifications may result. Here is where I need some input:

Does anyone have knowledge of or has had experiences with participants who had adverse reactions to questionnaires that are used to retrospectively establish maltreatment status? Does anyone have knowledge of legal consequences that resulted due to the use of such questionnaires? What precautions could be taken to reduce the likelihood of adverse reactions to sensitive questions? What options do I have to assess for abuse histories without the use of such questionnaires?

Any feedback on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Marion Burke

PhD Learner

Capella University

Higgins, D. J., & McCabe, M. P. (2001). The development of the comprehensive child maltreatment scale. Journal of Family Studies, 7 (1), 7-28