Psychological abuse and gaslighting in romantic relationships: Scale adaptation and a relational examination

Psychological abuse, one of the major forms of intimate partner violence, represents the most difficult yet the most destructive dimension to detect due to its covert nature. Unlike physical or sexual abuse, due to the fact that it leaves no visible scars, it is often overlooked, and it is described with the metaphor of "invisible wound" in literature. Furthermore, psychological abuse can lead to profound and long-lasting negative effects on individuals' mental and physical health. The primary aim of this study was to adapt the Controlling and Abusive Tactics Scale (CAT-2), which assesses psychological abuse in romantic relationships, and the Gaslighting Relationship Exposure Inventory (GREI), which measures gaslighting exposure in romantic relationships, into Turkish and to examine their psychometric properties. In line with this aim, it is intended to address the lack of a significant measurement tool in the Turkish literature. The research was conducted based on a survey research design, and a translation-back translation method was used to ensure linguistic and conceptual equivalence of the scales. A systematic adaptation process, including expert translations, expert evaluations, pilot study and main study steps, was followed. The validity of the scales was examined through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), concurrent validity and convergent validity analyses, while reliability of the scales was assessed with internal consistency analyses. The analysis results showed that the factor structure of CAT-2 was largely consistent with the original model and that the CFA findings presented generally acceptable fit indices. All forms of the scale were found to have high levels of internal consistency. In addition, the positive and significant correlations found between CAT-2 and the Conflict Tactics Scale - Psychological Violence subscale (CTS2-PV) supported the concurrent validity. In the analyses, the unidimensional structure for GREI was confirmed, and the CFA findings indicated that the model demonstrated a good fit. The scale was also found to have high internal consistency, and the findings strongly supported its reliability. In addition, a positive, significant and strong correlation was found between the GREI and the CTS2-PV, providing robust evidence for its convergent validity. In line with another objective of the research, the correlation between psychological abuse and exposure to gaslighting were examined, and positive, strong, significant correlations were found between these two variables. This finding lends support to the view that gaslighting can be conceptualized as a covert form of psychological abuse. Finally, whether levels of psychological abuse and gaslighting differed significantly across various demographic variables such as gender, relationship duration, relationship satisfaction and experience of physical violence (perpetration and victimization) was investigated. The analysis results revealed that both variables significantly differed according to relationship satisfaction and experience of perpetrating physical violence or being subjected to physical violence. In conclusion, the Turkish versions of the CAT-2 and GREI were determined to be valid and reliable instruments for assessing psychological abuse and gaslighting in romantic relationships. The fact that the CAT-2 allows for the simultaneous assessment of psychological abuse in terms of both perpetration and victimization and that the GREI is the first scale in the Turkish literature to measure gaslighting exposure for both genders in romantic relationships makes significant contributions to the field. The findings demonstrate that these instruments can be safely used in screening, assessment and intervention planning in research and clinical settings. Moreover, examining the correlations between psychological abuse and gaslighting, and whether these two variables differ across demographic characteristics contributes to a better understanding of these concepts and to more clearly delineating their conceptual boundaries.