Development and Psychometric Analysis of an Emotional Blackmail Scale
Author: Chun-Yu Kuo (Department of Adult and Continuing Education, National Taiwan Normal University), Zi-Ge Huang (Department of Adult and Continuing Education, National Taiwan Normal University), Jen-Ho Chang (Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica; Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University)
Vol.&No.：Vol. 70, No. 1
Date：March 2025
Pages：223-253
DOI：https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202503_70(1).0007
Abstract：
Development and Psychometric Analysis of an Emotional Blackmail Scale
Emotional blackmail is a form of emotional manipulation where the blackmailer uses negative emotions such as fear, guilt, or obligation to compel the victim to comply with their demands. Despite growing public awareness of emotional blackmail, there is limited academic research on this topic, particularly concerning parent-child relationships. Most existing studies focus on intimate relationships or organizational contexts, leaving a significant gap in understanding emotional blackmail within families. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a scale specifically designed to evaluate emotional blackmail behaviors in parent-child relationships, thereby providing researchers with a suitable measurement tool for this context.
Emotional blackmail, a concept introduced by Forward and Frazier in 1997, involves manipulating another person by inducing fear (fear of loss, anger, shame, withdrawal of love), obligation (cultural expectations, role responsibilities), and guilt (blaming or inducing feelings of guilt). Emotional blackmail can significantly damage relationship quality, including reducing intimacy and trust in parent-child relationships, which can affect children’s future relationships and overall well-being.
Prior to this research, tools for measuring emotional blackmail were not specifically tailored for parent-child interactions. Existing scales, such as the Emotional Blackmail Scale developed by Karnani and Zelman (2019), were primarily designed for intimate relationships and required adaptation for the parent-child context. Given the cultural importance and prevalence of parent-child dynamics involving emotional manipulation in Asian societies, a tool specifically tailored for these interactions is necessary to understand and address these issues adequately.
Methodology
The study recruited 381 volunteers aged 20 and above through social media platforms, resulting in a valid sample size of 356 participants with an average age of 25.83 years. To assess the reliability and validity of the Emotional Blackmail Scale, participants completed the traditional Chinese version of the scale, focusing on interactions with their primary caregivers. A subset of 50 participants was retested after one month to examine test-retest reliability.
The study used several validity testing tools, including the Parental Positive Support Scale to measure perceived positive support from parents, the Parent-Child Relationship Satisfaction Scale to assess satisfaction with the parent-child relationship, a visual analog scale for subjective evaluation of parent-child relationship quality, and the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6) to measure levels of gratitude. These tools helped evaluate the emotional blackmail scale’s effectiveness in reflecting various aspects of parent-child relationships and emotional traits.
Results
The study revealed that the Traditional Chinese version of the Emotional Blackmail Scale is a reliable and valid tool for assessing emotional blackmail within parent-child relationships. The results are presented as follows:
Reliability Analysis
Internal Consistency: The Emotional Blackmail Scale demonstrated high internal consistency across its subscales and total scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were .91 for the Fear subscale, .86 for the Guilt subscale, and .91 for the Obligation subscale, with an overall alpha of .95 for the entire scale. These values indicate that the items within each subscale are measuring the same underlying construct consistently.
Test-Retest Reliability: The scale showed strong test-retest reliability over a one-month interval, with correlation coefficients (rs) ranging from .81 for the Fear subscale, .90 for the Guilt subscale, and .89 for the Obligation subscale, and .89 for the total scale. This stability over time suggests that participants’ responses are consistent and reliable when reassessed after a period of time.
Validity Analysis
Construct Validity: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the factor structure of the Emotional Blackmail Scale. The analysis tested three models: a single-factor model, a first-order three-factor model (with fear, guilt, and obligation as separate but correlated factors), and a second-order three-factor model (where the three factors are linked to a higher-order emotional blackmail factor). The second-order three-factor model demonstrated the best fit to the data, with indices showing good model fit: Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = .976, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = .022, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = .087. The factor loadings for the observed variables on their respective latent factors were all above .70, indicating strong relationships between the items and their corresponding subscales.
Convergent and Discriminant Validity: The scale’s subscales showed good convergent validity, with Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values of .73 for Fear, .67 for Guilt, and .76 for Obligation. These values, all above .60, suggest that the items within each subscale are well-correlated and that each subscale captures a distinct aspect of emotional blackmail. Additionally, the Composite Reliability (CR) values for the subscales were .89 for Fear, .85 for Guilt, and .90 for Obligation, indicating that the scale consistently measures the constructs it is intended to assess.
Criterion-Related Validity: The scale’s scores were significantly negatively correlated with measures of parental positive support, parent-child relationship satisfaction, and subjective evaluations of relationship quality. Specifically, correlations with the Parental Positive Support Scale ranged from -.54 to -.57, with the Parent-Child Relationship Satisfaction Scale ranging from -.49 to -.59, and with subjective evaluations of relationship quality ranging from -.51 to -.59. These negative correlations indicate that higher levels of perceived emotional blackmail are associated with lower levels of perceived support, satisfaction, and quality in parent-child relationships.
Overall, these results demonstrate that the Traditional Chinese version of the Emotional Blackmail Scale is a robust tool with strong reliability and validity, capable of effectively capturing the nuances of emotional blackmail within parent-child relationships. The high reliability and valid structure of the scale make it an important instrument for future research and practical applications in understanding emotional manipulation dynamics in familial settings.
Discussion
The development of a reliable and valid Chinese version of the Emotional Blackmail Scale for parent-child relationships fills a critical gap in the literature. The scale’s strong psychometric properties make it a valuable tool for future research and practical applications in understanding and addressing emotional blackmail in families.
Future research should aim to broaden the sample to include younger age groups, such as high school or middle school students, to explore the developmental trajectory of emotional blackmail experiences. Additionally, collecting demographic information such as residence and education level would help understand the impact of these variables on emotional blackmail experiences. Incorporating dyadic data (e.g., from both parents and children) would provide a more comprehensive understanding of emotional blackmail’s influence on parent-child relationships.
In conclusion, the Chinese version of the Emotional Blackmail Scale demonstrates good reliability and validity, making it a useful tool for assessing emotional blackmail in parent-child relationships. This scale can help enhance the understanding of how emotional manipulation affects family dynamics and individual well-being, contributing to improved psychological outcomes for both parents and children.
Keywords：emotional blackmail, gratitude, quality of parent-child relationship