Construct validity of the child abuse potential inventory

Abstract

In an attempt to provide construct validity for the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) inventory, 176 Ss were given the inventory with its abuse and lie scales, an abbreviated MMPI with ego-strength and lie scales, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social-Desirability (M-C SD) scale. Analysis indicated a significant inverse relationship between the CAP abuse scale and the measure of ego-strength, which indicates that individuals who obtain elevated abuse scores have less adaptability and personal resourcefulness. Significant positive relationships were found between the CAP lie scale and the MMPI lie scale and between the CAP lie scale and the measure of social desirability. However, partial correlations indicated that the MMPI lie scale is relatively more important than social desirability in the understanding of the CAP lie scale. No significant relationships were observed between the CAP lie scale and the measure of ego-strength. Further, no significant relationships were found between the CAP abuse scale and the MMPI lie scale and the CAP abuse scale and the measure of social desirability. The present study provides results that are theoretically consistent with previous research on the CAP inventory.