Can measuring coercive conflict in family dyads be easier? The psychometrics of coercion measures.

Coercion theory has profoundly impacted our understanding of aggressive behavior in relationships; coercive processes are linked with numerous negative psychological and physical health outcomes. Coercion theory's influence on the aggression and violence literature is remarkable given that standard measurement requires painstaking, moment-by-moment coding of direct observation of dyadic interactions-an expensive, time-consuming endeavor. Thus, we sought to develop less costly and less cumbersome ways to measure coercive conflict. To assess the preliminary psychometrics of our resulting measurement system, we examined concurrent and convergent validity of (a) globally coded observer ratings of coercion and (b) participant-reported coercion in parent-child (n = 79) and intimate partner (n = 71) dyads. Overall, our new measures show mixed but encouraging signs of convergent and concurrent validity. Future low-cost measures may allow for the assessment of coercive conflict in mental and physical health care and expand research on this important dyadic process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).