Protocol - Family Conflict - Intimate-Relationship
Description
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) is a 78-item questionnaire that assesses both positive and negative behaviors used in response to conflict between romantic partners in the past year. It can be self-administered or administered by an interviewer as part of a personal interview.
Specific Instructions
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) is a proprietary instrument, and administration requires a licensing agreement from Western Psychological Services. Romantic partners are defined as any two adult individuals engaged in an intimate relationship, including both married and unmarried partners and both same-sex and opposite-sex partners.
Availability
Protocol
Summary of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2)
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) includes 78 items; one-half of the items refer to the respondent’s behavior, and the other half refers to the partner’s behavior. The protocol uses an eight-point response scale with which the respondent indicates how often each behavior has occurred. The set of responses then yields "Self" and "Partner" scores for:
- - Negotiation
- - Physical assault
- - Injury
- - Psychological aggression
- - Sexual coercion
Example
Positive items from the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) include demonstrating care during disagreements, showing respect for a partner’s point of view, and compromising on disagreements. Negative items include pushing and shoving during disagreements, using hurtful names and terms, and making threats with a knife or gun. Responses capture the number of times (such as never, once, twice, etc.) specific conflict tactics occurred during the past year.
Scoring Instructions
For each item, the respondent indicates the number of times the event has occurred in the past year. The responses are summed for all questions with higher scores indicating more psychological and physical abuse.
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) Copyright © 2003 by Western Psychological Services. All rights reserved.
Personnel and Training Required
No specific training is needed if data are collected through a self-administered questionnaire. If interviewers administer the questionnaire, the interviewer must be trained to conduct personal interviews with individuals from the general population and found competent to administer these particular questions (i.e., tested by an expert) at the end of the training. The interviewer should be trained to prompt respondents further if a “don’t know” response is provided.
Equipment Needs
These questions can be administered in a computerized or noncomputerized format (i.e., paper-and pencil instrument). Computer software is necessary to develop computer-assisted instruments. The interviewer will require a laptop computer or handheld computer to administer or to allow the respondent to self-administer a computer-assisted questionnaire.
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered or interviewer-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult
Participants
Adults, aged 18 years and older
Selection Rationale
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) was selected because it is a widely used, validated protocol with demonstrated validity and reliability. The scale’s scores are associated with relevant outcomes.
Language
Chinese, English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) | Fam conflict intimate-relat proto | 63017-8 | LOINC |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
The Expert Review Panel #2 (ERP 2) reviewed the measures in the Demographics, Environmental Exposures, and Social Environments domains.
Guidance from ERP 2 includes:
• Revised descriptions of the measure
Back-compatible: no changes to Data Dictionary
Previous version in Toolkit archive (link)
Protocol Name from Source
Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2), 2003
Source
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., Sugarman, D. B., Finkelhor, D., Moore, D. W., & Runyan, D. K. (2003). Conflict Tactics Scales. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS 2) are proprietary instruments and can be obtained through:
Western Psychological Services
12031 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025-1251
Telephone: 800.648.8857
E-mail: research@wpspublish.com
General References
Straus, M. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75-88.
Straus, M. A. (2007). Conflict Tactics Scales. In N. A. Jackson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of domestic violence (pp. 190-197). New York: Routledge.
Straus, M., & Hamby, S. L. (1997). Measuring physical and psychological maltreatment of children with the Conflict Tactics Scales. In G. Kaufman Kantor & J. L. Jasinsky (Eds.), Out of the darkness: Contemporary research perspectives on family violence (pp. 119-135).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Protocol ID
210401
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX210401000000 | Protocol 210401 - proprietary. Check DCW for more | N/A | ||
Measure Name
Family Conflict
Release Date
October 8, 2010
Definition
This measure is a questionnaire to assess the level of conflict in families and in intimate relationships.
Purpose
This measure is used to evaluate conflict and strategies to deal with conflict within parent-child and intimate relationships.
Keywords
Social environments, family, violence, Revised Conflict Tactics Scales, CTS 2, conflict, relationships, nonviolent discipline, assault, neglect, aggression, discipline, abuse, negotiation, injury, sexual coercion, proprietary
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 210401 | Family Conflict - Intimate-Relationship |
| 210402 | Family Conflict - Parent-Child |
Publications
Zucker, R. A, et al. (2018) Assessment of culture and environment in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study: Rationale, description of measures, and early data. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2018 August; 32: 107-120. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.03.004