A history of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, and
circumscribed negative life events are precursors of current
psychosomatic symptomatology. However, it is not known whether a
history of abuse predicts current symptomatology, independent of other
negative life events. We developed three new abuse scales:
Psychological/Verbal; Control; and Physical/Sexual, which emerged when
survey evidence of a random sample of the general public (N = 195) was
factor analyzed. Test-retest reliabilities conducted on university
students (N = 62) were moderate to high: Psychological/Verbal (r =
0.86); Control (r = 0.76); Physical/Sexual (r = 0.74); and Negative
Life Events (r = 0.84). A Negative Life Event scale was developed to
measure the cumulative effects of events (over the lifespan). A total
score was calculated by summing event scores, weighted in proportion
to 11 independent judges' ratings of distress for later use (Kendall's
W; chi 2 = 183.67, df = 67, p < 0.0001). Thirteen criterion
measures of current symptomatology were administered to a subsample of
the original sample (N = 92), and collapsed into one factor for use as
the criterion in a regression analysis; results showed that,
independent of negative life events and respondent demographics, the
Psychological/Verbal and Control Abuse Scales predicted current
negative mood and psychosomatic complaints, and the association
between current symptomatology and the Physical/Sexual Abuse Scale
approached, but did not achieve, statistical significance (t = 1.99,
df = 71, p < .0501). The present study demonstrates that the three
abuse scales may be powerful predictors of current symptomatology, and
that they have the potential for further investigating a wider range
of current medical, physiological, and psychological problems.