Detecting Domestic Violence: Spanish External Validation of the Index of Spouse Abuse

• NCJ Number: 230076
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2010 Pages: 275-286
• Author(s): Anna Torres; Purificacion Navarro; Lluisa Garcia-Esteve; Maria Jesus Tarragona; Carlos Ascaso; Zoe Herreras; Estel Gelabert; Maria Luisa Imaz; Alba Roca; Susana Subira; Rocio Martin-Santos
• Date Published: April 2010
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study consisted of two main objectives: to determine item weights for the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) in a sample of female students and to validate the Spanish ISA and investigate its psychometric properties in a sample of victims of domestic violence.

Abstract

The aims of the study were to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), and to validate it against external criteria of intimate partner violence. The Spanish version of the ISA was administered to 223 non-abused women and 182 victims of intimate partner violence. Internal consistency coefficients oscillated between 0.88 and 0.98. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis failed to replicate the original two-factor structure. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis, a two-factor solution was found: physical (ISA-P) and non-physical (ISA-NP), but the items included in each factor were slightly different from the original two subscales. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an AUC value for the ISA global score of 0.99 (95 percent CI: 0.98-0.99), with the optimal cut-off of 12 for detecting intimate partner violence. The Spanish version of the ISA is a valid instrument for detecting intimate partner violence in a female population. Tables, figure, appendixes, and references (Published Abstract)