The development and psychometric testing of the Risk for Abuse Assessment Scale and the Abuse Assessment Tool for use in Jamaican women

• Main Author: McWhinney-Dehaney, Leila
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2006
• Subjects: Criminology; Mental depression; Nursing; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological tests; Public health; Quantitative psychology; Risk factors; Womens studies; Jamaica
• ISBN: 9780542876530; 0542876531

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide problem, which results in serious and sometimes devastating health problems for women and their children. There are existing measures of IPV for use in U.S. populations, however, no available clinical screening or survey instruments meant for population based studies which are reliable, valid, and culturally sensitive for detecting or measuring IPV in Jamaican women exist. This study developed and validated the Risk for Abuse Assessment Scale (Risk AAS) and the Abuse Assessment Tool (AAT) for identifying risks for IPV and IPV in Jamaican women. A cross sectional survey design was used to test the psychometric properties of the Risk for Abuse Assessment Scale and the Abuse Assessment Tool in a convenience sample of 205 women in Primary Health Care clinics and Crisis Centers in Jamaica. The scales were developed from the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Jamaica and also the literature on IPV. Content and face validity, of the instrument were confirmed through expert panel reviews, and subject feedback. Reliability estimates were conducted and hypothesis testing and factor analysis used to establish construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal component analysis (PCA) with oblique rotation (Oblimin). Forty-five items were included on the initial Risk AAS and sixty-seven items were on the initial AAT scale: The final reduced Risk AAS scale consisted of 20 items. The alpha coefficient for this scale was .89. The reduced AAT consisted of 37 items with Cronbach's alpha of .97. The AAT was further reduced to a short form of 12 items which can be used clinically for quick assessment. Construct validity was supported with significant correlations between the Risk AAS and the AAT and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Modified Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale (MPTSD), the Miller Physical Symptoms and Injury Survey Scale and the Pregnancy Outcomes Checklist. It was concluded that these two measures are culturally sensitive, reliable and valid tools which could prove useful in identifying Jamaican women who are at risk for IPV and women who are exposed to intimate partner violence.