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Literature Review Volume 16 Issue 6
Construction and development of the empowerment & boundaries assessment (EBA): a tool for assessing boundary-setting and empowerment in victims of narcissistic abuse
Dr Brahmdeep Sindhu, Dr Amita Puri, Dr Padmakali Banerjee, Srishti Bhatt, Benjamin
Received: October 25, 2025 | Published: December 16, 2025
Citation: Sindhu B, Puri A, Banerjee P, et al. Construction and development of the empowerment & boundaries assessment (EBA): a tool for assessing boundary-setting and empowerment in victims of narcissistic abuse. J Psychol Clin Psychiatry. 2025;16(6):264-269. DOI: 10.15406/jpcpy.2025.16.00843
Abstract
Survivors of narcissistic abuse frequently experience profound challenges in establishing and maintaining personal boundaries across emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and relational domains. Despite the growing scholarly attention to narcissistic abuse, there remains a notable absence of standardized instruments dedicated to assessing boundarysetting abilities and empowerment among survivors. The current study introduces the Empowerment & Boundaries Assessment (EBA), a 25-item self-report tool designed to evaluate multidimensional boundary functioning in intimate relationships influenced by narcissistic dynamics. Developed through a theory-driven and integrative approach, the EBA synthesizes literature on narcissistic abuse, boundary violations, and empowerment theory. Employing a 5-point Likert scale, it measures four key domains: Emotional, Behavioral, Cognitive, and Social/Relational Boundaries. The scale provides both subscale and total scores with defined interpretation ranges, allowing for use in clinical, research, and therapeutic settings. Applications include baseline assessment, tracking therapeutic progress, and evaluating outcomes of interventions such as Boundaries Empowerment Therapy (BET). Implications for clinical psychology, trauma recovery, and relationship therapy are discussed.
Keywords: narcissistic abuse, personal boundaries, empowerment, cognitive boundaries, intimate relationships, social boundaries
©2025 Sindhu, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.