This questionnaire is designed to help you decide if you’re living
in an abusive situation. There are different forms of abuse, and not every
woman experiences all of them. Below are questions about your relationship
with your partner. Each answer or response has points assigned.
| Never |
0 points |
| Rarely |
1 point |
| Sometimes |
2 points |
| Frequently |
3 points |
Answer each question with the response that best describes your relationship
and write the number of points in the margin. By totaling all of the points
you can compare your score with the Abuser Index at the end of the document.
| ____ |
- Does your partner continually monitor your time and make you
account for every minute?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever accuse you of having affairs with others
or act suspicious that you are?
|
| ____ |
- Is your partner ever rude to your friends?
|
| ____ |
- Do you ever feel discouraged from starting same-sex friendships?
|
| ____ |
- Do you feel isolated and alone, as if there were nobody close
for you to confide in?
|
| ____ |
- Is your partner overly critical of daily things, such as, your
cooking, your clothes, or your appearance?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner demand a strict account of how you spend money?
|
| ____ |
- Do your partner's moods change radically, from very calm to
very angry and vice versa?
|
| ____ |
- Is your partner disturbed by you working, or the thought of
you working?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner become angry more easily if he/she drinks?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner pressure you for sex more often than you'd
like?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner become angry if you don't want to go along
with his/her request for sex?
|
| ____ |
- Do you quarrel much over financial matters?
|
| ____ |
- Do you quarrel much about having children or raising them?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever strike you with his/her hands or feet
(slap, punch, kick, etc.)?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever strike you with an object?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever threaten you with an object or weapon?
|
| ____ |
- Has your partner ever threatened to kill either him/herself
or you?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever give you visible injuries (welts, bruises,
cuts)?
|
| ____ |
- Have you ever had to treat any injuries from your partner's
violence with first aid?
|
| ____ |
- Have you ever had to seek professional aid for any injury at
a clinic, emergency room, or doctor's office?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever hurt you sexually or make you have intercourse
against your will?
|
| ____ |
- Is your partner ever violent towards the children?
|
| ____ |
- Is your partner ever violent toward other people outside your
home and family?
|
| ____ |
- Does your partner ever throw objects or break things when he/she
is angry?
|
| ____ |
- Has your partner ever been in trouble with the police?
|
| ____ |
- Have you ever called the police or tried to call them because
you felt you or other members of your family were in danger?
|
To score your response simply add up the points for each question. The
sum is your Abuse Index Score. To get some idea of how your relationship
is, compare your score with the following chart:
| 81-64 |
Dangerously Abusive |
| 63-26 |
Seriously Abusive |
| 25-11 |
Moderately Abusive |
| 10-0 |
Non-abusive |
A woman with a score of 0-10 is in a non-abusive relationship.
The sorts of strains she experiences are not unusual in relationships.
A woman with a score of 11-25 range, however, does live in a home
where she experiences some violence at least once in a while. It may
be that this is a relationship where violence is just beginning. In a
new relationship there is good reason to expect it will eventually escalate
into more serious forms and may occur more frequently.
Women with scores in the 26-63 range are in a seriously abusive relationship
that can, under outside pressure, or with the sudden strain of a family
emergency, move into the dangerously severe range. Serious injury is quite
probable if it has not already occurred. A woman here needs to consider
finding counseling. She should seriously consider getting help, even leaving.
Women with scores in the top range 64-81 need to consider even more
seriously the option of leaving at least temporarily while she considers
her next move. The violence will not take care of itself or miraculously
disappear. Over time the chances are very good that the woman's life will
be in danger.
For help and information, call the Women's Center 242-3110 (Melbourne)
or 449-1144 (Merritt Island).
Domestic Violence Safety Plan
Warning signs of domestic violence
Suggestions for helping
Did you get flowers today?
Women's
Healthcare Advisory Council creates social services hotline
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