Perpetration in Dating Relationships Scale (PDRS) is a scale developed to measure the prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychological aggression in dating relationships. It was developed by researchers at the University of Michigan to help identify and assess the levels of aggression in intimate relationships. The PDRS consists of 30 items, each of which is rated on a 5–point scale from “never” to “very often”. The items cover a wide range of behaviors, such as pushing, slapping, choking, and threatening. The scale also includes items related to psychological aggression, such as name calling and controlling behavior. The PDRS has been found to be reliable and valid in measuring physical, sexual, and psychological aggression in dating relationships. It has been used in a variety of research studies and has been found to be a useful tool for identifying aggression in intimate relationships. The PDRS has been used to study the prevalence of aggression in dating relationships, as well as the relationship between aggression and other factors, such as gender, age, and relationship satisfaction. It has also been used to study the effects of aggression on mental health and the relationship between aggression and substance use. Overall, the PDRS is a useful tool for measuring aggression in dating relationships. It can be used to identify and assess the prevalence of aggression in intimate relationships, as well as to study the relationship between aggression and other factors.
How many times have you ever done the following things to a person that you have been on a date with?
Only include when you did it to him/her first. In other words‚ don’t count it if you did it in self-defense.
1. Scratched them
2. Slapped them
3. Physically twisted their arm
4. Slammed or held them against a wall
5. Kicked them
6. Bent my fingers
7. Bit them
8. Tried to choke them
9. Pushed‚ grabbed‚ or shoved them
10. Dumped them out of a car
11. Threw something at them that hit them
12. Forced them to have sex
13. Forced them to do other sexual things that they did not want to do
14. Burned me
15. Hit them with my fist
16. Hit them with something hard besides my fist
17. Beat them up
18. Assaulted them with a knife or gun
The scale measures self-reported perpetration of physical violence within dating relationships. Respondents are asked to indicate the number of times they have ever performed certain violent acts to their date.
This instrument can be found on pages 202-203 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes‚ Behaviors‚ and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools‚ available online at:http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf .
Students in grades 8-9.
Never=0‚ 1 to 3 times=1‚ 4 to 9 times=2‚ 10 or more times=3
Point values are as indicated above. The score is calculated by summing the point values of the responses from a participant. Alternatively‚ the score can be derived by summing the point values and dividing by the total number of responses. A high score indicates a high level of perpetration in dating relationships; a low score indicates a low level of perpetration.
Foshee VA‚ Linder F‚ Bauman KE‚ et al. The Safe Dates Project: theoretical basis‚ evaluation design‚ and selected baseline findings. American Journal of Preventive Medicine‚ 1996;12(5 Suppl):39-47.