The findings show that the abuse index used for this comparative study measures three discreet types of violence with high internal consistency: physical violence, psychological violence, and sexual violence. The populations interviewed (Morelos and California) consistently differentiated between two types of violence, i.e., one that encompassed all severe forms of violence (physical and emotional), and one that involved less severe forms of emotional and physical violence. The five groups of interviewees from both sites weighed each type of violence in a consistent manner. Each type of violence was weighted in a different manner when compared with the other two types of violence. The reliability coefficients for the subscales related to physical violence and psychological violence, as well as for the total scale showed high internal consistency. Sexual violence showed only fair internal consistency. An example of the use of the scale showed the strong relationship between previous violence and the increased severity of abuse during pregnancy. This was a collaborative study that compared the type, frequency, and severity of violence during and prior to pregnancy for samples of Mexican and Mexican-American women. The sample population was drawn from pregnant women seeking prenatal care in health clinics in Los Angeles County, CA, and the cities of Cuernavaca and Cuautla in Morelos, Mexico. The overall comparative study included 914 women from Morelos and 219 women from California. An abuse screen was adapted from the Conflict Tactics Scale and the Index of Spouse Abuse for use in both countries. The abuse screen includes 26 questions that focus on physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that range from mild to severe. 6 tables, 1 figure, and 27 references