Investigating Psychological Abuse in Coercive Groups: A Systematic Review and the Italian Validation of Four Assessment Scales

This thesis investigates psychological abuse in coercive groups through two complementary projects. The first chapter aims at briefly introducing the phenomenon of cultic and high-control groups, outlining their main features and providing a theoretical framework for analyzing the psychological and manipulative dynamics that sustain coercive influence. The second chapter presents a systematic review on manipulation strategies in abusive groups. This is the first project addressing this topic: prior literature has examined related phenomena (Almendros, Gámez-Guadix, et al., 2011; Rodríguez-Carballeira et al., 2015; Saldaña Tops et al., 2018), but no systematic review has specifically synthesized manipulation techniques within coercive groups. This project identifies recurring strategies, highlighting their profound psychosocial and health related consequences. In doing so, it clarifies current knowledge, exposes major gaps, and underscore the need for reliable instruments to assess mechanisms of psychological abuse operating within high-control environments. Responding to this gap, the third chapter presents the Italian translation and validation of four internationally recognized instruments: the Group Psychological Abuse Scale (Chambers et al., 1994), the Inventory of Psychosocial Difficulties in Survivors of Abusive Groups (Antelo et al., 2021), the Psychological Abuse Experienced in Groups Scale (Saldaña et al., 2017), and the Psychological Abuse Perpetrated in Groups Scale (Saldaña et al., 2023). Adapted and validated for the first time in Italy, these tools were tested for reliability and validity, providing culturally grounded measures to assess experiences of abuse, its psychosocial impact, and members’ own participation in coercive practices. Finally, chapter four integrates the findings of the two projects and draws final conclusions. Overall, this work advances both theory and practice by demonstrating that psychological abuse in high-control groups is systematic and predictable, and it shows that addressing these dynamics requires robust, culturally adapted and methodologically sound instruments. By integrating theoretical insight with methodological innovation, the thesis contributes to advancing knowledge, supporting professional practice, and giving visibility to a form of harm that often remains underestimated.