Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 15, No. 2, 1998, page 61
must accede to group norms (e.g., ―Members must abide by the group‘s guidelines
regarding dating and intimate relationships‖). Scores on the Exploitation subscale reflect
beliefs about the degree to which a cult manipulates, abuses, and uses people (e.g., ―The
group advocates or implies that breaking the law is okay if it serves the interests of the
group‖). Scores on the Mind Control subscale reflect beliefs about the degree to which the
cult leadership uses deceptive and manipulative means to sustain membership (e.g.,
―People who stay in the group do so because they are deceived and manipulated‖). Scores
on the Anxious Dependency subscale reflect beliefs about the degree to which members
depend in an absolute and possibly also anxious way on the group (e.g., ―Members believe
that to leave the group would be death or eternal damnation for themselves or their
families‖). On each item, respondents rated the target group on a 5-point Likert scale from
1 (not at all characteristic) to 5 (very characteristic). Thus, the range for each subscale is
7-35, and the range for the overall (composite) score is 28-140. Scores above the midpoint
(21 for each subscale, 84 for the composite) indicate that the respondent rated the group as
being abusive (Langone, 1994). Previously obtained Cronbach‘s alpha (reliability)
coefficients for the GPA ranged from .70 to .81 on the four subscales (Chambers et al.,
1994).
Symptom Checklist 90, Revised. The Symptom Checklist 90, Revised (SCL-90-R), a
multidimensional self-report inventory widely used in psychiatric screening to measure
psychological distress levels, offers four normative scoring versions for both males and
females. The norms have been established for psychiatric inpatients, psychiatric
outpatients, nonpatient adults, and nonpatient adolescents. The present study used
nonpatient adult norms. A total of 90 items measure the severity of symptoms on nine
distinct dimensions: (a) somatization, (b) obsession-compulsion, (c) interpersonal
sensitivity, (d) depression, (e) anxiety, (f) hostility, (g) phobic anxiety, (h) paranoid
ideation, and (i) psychoticism. The instrument includes seven additional items that are
reflected only in the three global scores: the Global Severity Index, the Positive Symptom
Distress Index, and the Positive Symptom Total. Their inclusion is based on their clinical
significance. The function of the global measures is to express the level or depth of
psychological distress in a single score.
Because the SCL-90-R is used to screen various non-psychiatric populations (e.g., Derogatis
&DellaPietra, 1994 Derogatis &Lazarus, 1994), an operational definition of what
constitutes a positive case seems appropriate and helpful. Derogatis (1994) defined
caseness by an operational rule which states that the individual is considered a positive risk
if the person has a Global Severity Index score on the nonpatient norm greater than or
equal to a standardized score of 63 (or scores 63 or above on two primary dimensions).
Previously obtained Cronbach‘s alpha coefficients for the SCL-90-R ranged from .77 to .90
on the various symptom dimensions and from .83 to .90 for test-retest coefficients
(Derogatis, Rickels, &Rock, 1976 Horowitz, Rosenberg, Baer, Ureno, &Villasenor, 1988).
Criterion validity studies, in particular with MMPI scales, showed high convergent validity
and peak correlations on eight of the nine scales of the SCL-90 (Derogatis et al., 1976).
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Revised
(EPQ-R) is a self-report instrument that uses 73 items to determine the strengths of three
dimensions of personality: psychoticism or ―tough-mindedness,‖ neuroticism or
―emotionality,‖ and extroversion. A fourth subscale, the Lie scale, uses 21 additional items
to measure dissimulation or social desirability. Norms for the EPQ-R have been established
for American males and females (see Results section). Previously obtained Cronbach‘s
alpha coefficients for the subscales range from .66 to .86 (Eysenck &Eysenck, 1994).
Background Questionnaire (personal information and reported quality of personal
relationships). The background questionnaire asked respondents for such information as
year of birth, marital status, religious background, level of involvement, and so on.
must accede to group norms (e.g., ―Members must abide by the group‘s guidelines
regarding dating and intimate relationships‖). Scores on the Exploitation subscale reflect
beliefs about the degree to which a cult manipulates, abuses, and uses people (e.g., ―The
group advocates or implies that breaking the law is okay if it serves the interests of the
group‖). Scores on the Mind Control subscale reflect beliefs about the degree to which the
cult leadership uses deceptive and manipulative means to sustain membership (e.g.,
―People who stay in the group do so because they are deceived and manipulated‖). Scores
on the Anxious Dependency subscale reflect beliefs about the degree to which members
depend in an absolute and possibly also anxious way on the group (e.g., ―Members believe
that to leave the group would be death or eternal damnation for themselves or their
families‖). On each item, respondents rated the target group on a 5-point Likert scale from
1 (not at all characteristic) to 5 (very characteristic). Thus, the range for each subscale is
7-35, and the range for the overall (composite) score is 28-140. Scores above the midpoint
(21 for each subscale, 84 for the composite) indicate that the respondent rated the group as
being abusive (Langone, 1994). Previously obtained Cronbach‘s alpha (reliability)
coefficients for the GPA ranged from .70 to .81 on the four subscales (Chambers et al.,
1994).
Symptom Checklist 90, Revised. The Symptom Checklist 90, Revised (SCL-90-R), a
multidimensional self-report inventory widely used in psychiatric screening to measure
psychological distress levels, offers four normative scoring versions for both males and
females. The norms have been established for psychiatric inpatients, psychiatric
outpatients, nonpatient adults, and nonpatient adolescents. The present study used
nonpatient adult norms. A total of 90 items measure the severity of symptoms on nine
distinct dimensions: (a) somatization, (b) obsession-compulsion, (c) interpersonal
sensitivity, (d) depression, (e) anxiety, (f) hostility, (g) phobic anxiety, (h) paranoid
ideation, and (i) psychoticism. The instrument includes seven additional items that are
reflected only in the three global scores: the Global Severity Index, the Positive Symptom
Distress Index, and the Positive Symptom Total. Their inclusion is based on their clinical
significance. The function of the global measures is to express the level or depth of
psychological distress in a single score.
Because the SCL-90-R is used to screen various non-psychiatric populations (e.g., Derogatis
&DellaPietra, 1994 Derogatis &Lazarus, 1994), an operational definition of what
constitutes a positive case seems appropriate and helpful. Derogatis (1994) defined
caseness by an operational rule which states that the individual is considered a positive risk
if the person has a Global Severity Index score on the nonpatient norm greater than or
equal to a standardized score of 63 (or scores 63 or above on two primary dimensions).
Previously obtained Cronbach‘s alpha coefficients for the SCL-90-R ranged from .77 to .90
on the various symptom dimensions and from .83 to .90 for test-retest coefficients
(Derogatis, Rickels, &Rock, 1976 Horowitz, Rosenberg, Baer, Ureno, &Villasenor, 1988).
Criterion validity studies, in particular with MMPI scales, showed high convergent validity
and peak correlations on eight of the nine scales of the SCL-90 (Derogatis et al., 1976).
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Revised
(EPQ-R) is a self-report instrument that uses 73 items to determine the strengths of three
dimensions of personality: psychoticism or ―tough-mindedness,‖ neuroticism or
―emotionality,‖ and extroversion. A fourth subscale, the Lie scale, uses 21 additional items
to measure dissimulation or social desirability. Norms for the EPQ-R have been established
for American males and females (see Results section). Previously obtained Cronbach‘s
alpha coefficients for the subscales range from .66 to .86 (Eysenck &Eysenck, 1994).
Background Questionnaire (personal information and reported quality of personal
relationships). The background questionnaire asked respondents for such information as
year of birth, marital status, religious background, level of involvement, and so on.
