Development of a Clinical Interview Guide for Assessment of Non-physical Forms of Abuse in Couple Therapy

The study aims to develop an interview guide for the identification and assessment of non-physical forms of abuse in couple psychotherapy. Additionally the study aims to  explore how couple therapists in India understand and identify non-physical forms of abuse in a therapeutic setting using an expert validated interview guide. It also examines the personal and cultural factors that play a role in the identification and assessment of non-physical forms of abuse in couple psychotherapy. 

Before the data collection is started, an interview guide will be validated by three subject experts. Data collection will involve an online survey and in-depth interviews. A purposive sampling method will be used to recruit mental health clinicians (MPhil Clinical Psychology or Psychiatric Social Work) who meet the inclusion criteria. The online survey, administered via Microsoft Forms, will collect sociodemographic and clinical information, as well as responses to two open-ended questions regarding indicators and assessment of non-physical abuse in couple therapy.Based on findings from the literature review and survey responses, a semi-structured interview guide will be developed through consultation with the research team. In-depth interviews will be parallelly conducted and audio-recorded with online informed consent. These interviews will explore clinicians’ conceptualisation, assessment methods, cultural considerations, and challenges in identifying non-physical abuse. Data from the literature review, survey, and interviews will be triangulated and thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s method. Member checking and reflexive journaling will be employed to enhance the trustworthiness of findings. Insights derived from the data will inform the development of a standardised clinical interview guide for use in couple therapy settings.