Child abuse potential inventory in Italy: A comparative study of abusive and nonabusive parents

The aim of this study was to explore the reliability and ability of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory to discriminate parents in an Italian sample who are physically child abusive and physically nonabusive parents. The CAP Inventory and measures on parenting stress (PSI-SF) and parents’ attributions of child adjustment (CBCL) were administered in a sample of 37 abusive and 102 nonabusive parents in an Italian sample: Both groups of the respondents were similar in age, gender, marital status, and education. The Abuse scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = .86) and 52 items significantly discriminate between abusive and nonabusive parents. Moreover, the mean score of abusive parents (M = 194.5) was significantly higher than the mean score of nonabusive parents (M = 78) and the Abuse scale was correlated with parenting stress and parental perceptions of maladjustment in children (in terms of internalizing and externalizing symptoms). Finally, with the cutoff suggested in the original version of the CAP Inventory (Milner, 1986) when abusive and nonabusive groups are compared (166), the Abuse scale correctly classified 70.3% of the abusive group and 100% of the nonabusive group. These results showed adequate reliability and validity of the Abuse scale for Italy.