Revised Conflict Tactics Scales – CTS2
Measures the frequency of negotiation, psychological aggression, physical assault, sexual coercion, and injury in intimate partner relationships.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales – CTS2 was developed by Murray A. Straus, Sherry L. Hamby, Sue Boney-McCoy, David B. Sugarman (1996). It is designed to measure Intimate partner violence and conflict tactics. The scale is intended for use with Adults in intimate relationships.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 78 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Negotiation, Psychological Aggression, Physical Assault, Sexual Coercion, Injury.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Negotiation | 1,2,3,4,13,14,39,40,59,60,77,78 | 12 |
| Psychological Aggression | 5,6,25,26,29,30,35,36,49,50,65,66,67,68,69,70 | 16 |
| Physical Assault | 7,8,9,10,17,18,21,22,27,28,33,34,37,38,43,44,45,46,53,54,61,62,73,74 | 24 |
| Sexual Coercion | 15,16,19,20,47,48,51,52,57,58,63,64,75,76 | 14 |
| Injury | 11,12,23,24,31,32,41,42,55,56,71,72 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = This has never happened, 1 = Once in the past year, 2 = Twice in the past year, 3 = 3-5 times in the past year, 4 = 6-10 times in the past year, 5 = 11-20 times in the past year, 6 = More than 20 times in the past year, 7 = Not in the past year, but it did happen before.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Psychological aggression alpha = .79.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.