Child Abuse Potential Inventory ( CAPI )
Overview
Acronym:
CAPI Author Contact:
Joel Milner
jmilner@niu.edu
Citation:
Milner, J. (1986). The Child Abuse Potential Inventory Manual, DeKalb, IL: Psytec Inc.
To Obtain:
Published by Psytec but also available through Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). Psytec does not have an email or website, so it is easier to obtain through PAR.
Psytec Inc.
P.O. Box 564
DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 758-1415
Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
16204 N. Florida Ave.
Lutz, FL 33549
Phone (800) 331-8378
Fax (800) 727-9329
Email:
jmilner@niu.edu
Cost:
$1.00
Copyright:
Yes Description:
The CAP Inventory is a caretaker-report measure developed to estimate the risk of a parent physically abusing a child. The test consists of 160 questions with a total of 10 standard scales and 2 special scales (added to the measure in 1990). The 10 standard scales include a 77-item Child Abuse Scale and 3 validity scales.
There have been multiple studies that have shown that a mother's score on the CAP inventory is predictive of the child's long-term intelligence, socioemotional outcome and development as well as future behavior by the parent.
Theoretical Orientation Summary:
Items were selected after an extensive literature search and with input from Child Protective Services.
Domains Assessed:
Interpersonal / Interaction problems (cgiver)
Mood and Anxiety Symptoms (cgiver)
Parenting style
Validity (cgiver)
Languages:
Croatian
English (USA)
Filipino
Greek
Spanish
Age Range:
18-99 Years
Measure Type:
Screening
Number of Items:
160 Measure Format:
Questionnaire
Time to Complete:
15
Reporter:
Self
Score Time:
15
Education Level:
2
Periodicity:
Unknown Response Format:
Agree or Disagree
Materials Needed:
Paper and pencil Testing stimuli (e.g. pictures, testing kit)
Materials Notes:
Materials offered by PAR include (as of 6/05):1. Manual: $352. Interpretive Manual for the CAP Inventory: $243. CAP Inventory Form VI Booklets (pkg/10): $194. CAP Raw Score Summary Sheets (pkg/10): $55. CAP Inconsistency Scale Scoring Sheets (pkg/10): $56. CAP Inventory Complete Scoring Template set $597. CAP Inventory Introductory Kit): $135 (Includes all items listed above.)Pricing is based by summing Raw Score Summary Sheets and Inconsistency Scale Scoring Sheets, assuming templates and booklets are reusable.Computer program available for scoring but can also be hand-scored. Hand-scoring templates are available.Although the age range for the measure is 18 and older, the measure has been used with adolescents aged 14-19 (Miller, Handal, Gilner, & Cross, 1991).
Sample Items:
| Domain | Scales | Sample |
| Posttraumatic stress symptoms (child) | Not Available | Difficulty concentrating |
Information Provided:
Areas of concern/risks
Continuous assessment
Program evaluation info
Raw Scores
Strengths
Training
Training to Administrator:
Training by experienced clinician (<4 hours)
Training to Interpret:
Not Available
Training Notes:
Person doing the interpretation should be a trained mental health professional.
Psychometrics
Norms:
None
Clinical Cutoffs:
166, but 215 is the recommended "conservative" cutoff score, so as to have fewer false positives.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
1. Easy to use and score.
2. Demonstrated ability to screen for physical abuse risk factors in parents.
3. Has been studied and validated multiple times and is used frequently.
4. Spanish version well studied.
Cons:
1. According to the manual, care must be taken when utilizing this measure outside of the area of Child Protection.
2. This measure was designed as a tool to identify high-risk parents for physical abuse, and not other types of abuse.
3. It should be used only as one tool, and not as the sole predictor of abuse.
4. This measure is lengthy and takes considerable time to complete.
5. The items are face valid and many parents respond defensively. Although the validity scales help detect invalid response patterns, this still leaves the problem of having invalid responses.
Author Comments
Author Comments:
The author and publisher were sent the final draft but did not provide any comments.
Citation for Review:
Renee Tietsworth, L.C.S.W.
Editor of Review:
Nicole Taylor, Ph.D., Robyn Igelman, M.A.,
Madhur Kulkarni, M.S.,
Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Ph.D.
Last Updated:
Thu, 06/07/2007
PDF Available:
Yes
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