Emotional Abuse Test

Based On: Development and Validity of the Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS). 2025.

The purpose of Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-48) is to measure psychological and behavioral tendencies often associated with emotional abuse. Physical abuse can be seen and measured, but emotional abuse does not leave visible signs; it deeply damages individual\'s sense of self, confidence, and emotional security. (DEAS-48) is designed to measure six core dimensions of emotional abuse: Inadequacy, Dependency, Distrust, Restraint, Submissiveness, and Vulnerability. These six core domains of emotional abuse capture how emotional abuse impacts individuals’ psychological and social functioning. This interactive version of the emotional abuse questionnaire is provided in a quiz form, which offers automatic scoring and provides detailed scoring charts for better interpretation of results.

Basic information
Statements: 48
Duration: 3–4 minutes
Type: Self-assessment
Seminal work:Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-18)
Publishing year: 2024

Emotional abuse test is the digital adaptation of the preliminary version of Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-18) [1] Deen Mohd. Development and Validity of the Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-18). 2025. ⟨hal-04908873⟩. The results are provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Participation in this quiz is completely anonymous; no personal data is collected, and results are not stored for research purposes. Drdeenz adheres to the ethical considerations proposed by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Emotional abuse leaves scars on the soul that are not visible but are deeply felt. Abusers intentionally hurt deeply so that they can manipulate, embarrass, isolate, and humiliate . [2] Goldsmith, … “Awareness for emotional abuse.” Modern psychology emphasizes understanding, identifying, and addressing emotional abuse as a serious psychological concern that can impact the interpersonal, social, and psychological well-being of an individual. [3] Thompson, … “Childhood emotional abuse.”

Emotional abuse is not limited to romantic or interpersonal relationships, emotional abuse can occur in various forms such as family relationships, workplaces, educational and community settings.

Key aspects or indicators of emotional abuse.

During the lecture review and understanding key dimensions of psychological abuse, it was found that emotional abuse is a multidimensional and complex topic. The research on development and validation of emotional abuse scale, focuses on understanding and identifying an individuals emotional tendencies by measuring 6 key facets that are interconnected and overlap with one another.

Feeling Inadequacy: Inadequacy is the major trait of psychological abuse. Abusers employ lo of tactics that make a person feel insufficient, incapable, and unworthy. In childhood or in later sages of life a person be have received emotional torcher which in turn makes a person feel inadequate.

Dependency: In a relationship, mutual respect is a key to a healthy emotional bond. In some cases, a one-sided love or affection plays a key role where a person may feel pissed off, creating a sense of dependence. People who score high in this trait do not necessarily mean they are emotionally abused but feelings of being trapped and excessive dependence in a relationship can be a sign of emotional abuse.

Distrusting: Distrust means a lack of faith, or belief in someone. Feeling suspicion of the intentions of a person, and truthfulness of others without any apparent reason can indicate there may be past experiences which may have impacted individuals emotional state.

Restrained: Restraint refers to a situation where a person may feel limited, controlled, or held back. The feeling of being restrained can be a sign of other psychological conditions but being restrained can have a profound impact on interpersonal relationships.

Submissive: Submissive behavior can be a survival strategy adopted by individuals who might be the victim of emotional abuse. The submission of desires, demands, or expressions by the victim erodes the sense of autonomy. People with this type of behavior may frequently apologize even for their actions might be legitimate.

Vulnerable: People who are being emotionally abused might feel exposed, defenseless, and suspectable to further emotional harm. They also feel unsafe, uneasy, or threatened in expressing their true emotions whether it may be joy or sadness. The fear of negative consequences, judgment, or rejection is a strong sign of emotional abuse.

References

  1. Deen Mohd. Development and Validity of the Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-18). 2025. ⟨hal-04908873⟩ ↩

  2. Goldsmith, Rachel E., and Jennifer J. Freyd. “Awareness for emotional abuse.” Journal of Emotional Abuse 5.1 (2005): 95-123. https://doi.org/10.1300/J135v05n01_04 ↩

  3. Thompson, Anne E., and Carole A. Kaplan. “Childhood emotional abuse.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 168.2 (1996): 143-148. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.168.2.143 ↩

  4. Dar, Deen Mohd, 2025, “Understanding Emotional Abuse: Insights from the Deenz Emotional Abuse Scale (DEAS-18)”, https://doi.org/10.60863/SF/CCJQPM