Findings are consistent with previous reports of variability in CPA endorsement patterns (Carlin et al., 1994; Silvern et al., 2000). We observed an almost a three-fold increase in prevalence estimate of CPA when using behaviorally-defined CPA (14.5%) than trauma checklist-defined CPA (5.2%). Additionally, the majority of women who endorsed trauma checklist items for CPA also endorsed behaviorally defined CPA questions while a minority of women who endorsed behavioral CPA questions also affirmed the trauma check list items. This discrepancy has implications for future epidemiologic measurement of CPA and highlights the value of querying exposure to specific behaviors that fall into the category of physical abuse over asking respondents to explicitly define their experiences as abusive.
