The Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale: Psychometric properties of the Spanish version

The Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale (PAEGS) is a self-reported questionnaire measuring psychologically abusive behaviors experienced within a group. The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the PAEGS for its use in the Spanish-speaking population. An online questionnaire was administered to 269 former members of abusive groups and to 268 former members of non-abusive groups. The main results showed a one-dimensional factor structure explaining 55.47% of the total variance with an internal consistency of .97, and a high discriminatory power to distinguish between abusive and non-abusive group experiences. In addition, significant correlations were found between the PAEGS and group abusiveness and psychological distress measures, providing further evidence of validity. The Spanish version of the PAEGS is proposed to overcome limitations of previous instruments, and it can be useful in research and applied contexts to assess the extent of psychological abuse experienced within a certain group.