Words Can Harm Scale (WCHS)

The Words Can Harm Scale (WCHS) by Pratt et al. (2026) measures the belief that speech can cause lasting psychological harm. Items assess attitudes about harmful speech in general (e.g., "Vulnerable people should not be exposed to certain kinds of speech") and beliefs about the impact of written words (e.g., "I could be left emotionally scarred by something I read"). 10 items on a 5-point agree/disagree scale. Higher scores indicate stronger belief that words can cause lasting psychological harm.