Development of a clinical nurse recognition scale for female intimate partner violence patients

Development and Psychometric Assessment of a Questionnaire for the Detection of Invisible Violence against Women

BACKGROUND

Invisible violence against women (IVAW) can be understood as the set of attitudes, behaviors, and subtle beliefs that men use to subordinate women and that are culturally accepted. These behaviors can be a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV), so it is important to design tools that allow us to detect it early. The aim of this study was to design and psychometrically assess a questionnaire for the detection of invisible violence against women (Q-IVAW).

METHODOLOGY

A descriptive cross-sectional methodological study carried out in three phases: (1) development of the initial version; (2) pilot study (N = 51); and (3) final validation study (N = 990). The tool's reliability, validity, and legibility were assessed. To assess reliability, the internal consistency (Cronbach's α) was analyzed. The validity assessment included an analysis of content, criterion, and construct validity.

RESULTS

The EFA revealed that the Q-IVAW was comprised of five factors that explained 55.85% of the total variance found. The Q-IVAW showed very high reliability (α = 0.937), excellent content validity, and good construct validity. The criterion validity analysis showed a moderate correlation between A-IPVAW and Q-IVAW (r = 0.30; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The psychometric assessment of the Q-IVAW yielded good results, which could support the tool's ability to assess how often women are subjected to inviable violent behaviors by their partners.

Development of an early detection scale for intimate partner violence to occur in relationships under power and control

AIM

This study aimed to develop a detection scale for intimate partner violence (DS-IPV), excluding physical and sexual violence, and to validate the scale.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using an anonymous 26-item self-administered questionnaire with volunteer women aged 18-59 residing in one prefecture in Japan. A total of 1,937 responses were obtained, and 1,915 were valid. The responses of the 1,277 women who had a partner at the time were included in the analysis. Statistical analysis examined exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, and construct validity.

RESULTS

A four-factor scale with 22 items was extracted for the DS-IPV. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the indices of fitness supported these results. Prior to the factor analysis, the Kiser-Mayer-Olkin measurement (.936) and Bartlett's sphericity test (p < .001) showed that all samples met the statistical criteria. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .92 for total score and varied between .70 and .90 for each of the four factors, and internal consistency was confirmed. The following four factors emerged from an oblique factor analysis, with a cumulative variance of 58.1%: "arousing anxiety"; "controlling behavior"; "coercion and threat"; and "daily emotions". These four factors had a moderate correlation (.23-.48, p < .01) with each other, which indicated construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the indices of fitness supported these results.

CONCLUSIONS

The DS-IPV scale, a concise scale to detect and screen for potential intimate partner violence, was developed. The DS-IPV scale showed good internal consistency and construct validity.