Development of a Retrospective Measure of Childhood Sexual Maltreatment in Pakistan

The study was intended to develop a retrospective measure of childhood sexual maltreatment in nonclinical population. Items were developed using existing literature and experts’ suggestions. After preliminary testing, 20 items were administered to a sample of 375 university students including males, females, and participants who kept gender undisclosed. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors: Psychological Experience of Childhood Sexual Maltreatment, Physical Experience of Childhood Sexual Maltreatment, and Forced Exposure to Nudity. Final developed scale along subscales showed excellent internal consistency. However, the factor, Forced Exposure to Nudity showed slightly less than satisfactory internal consistency and other psychometric properties. Therefore, it is suggested that the third factor needs to be refined in revisions of the test. The implications and limitations regarding the development of retrospective measure of childhood sexual maltreatment in the context of Pakistan were discussed.