Validation of a Measure of Intimate Partner Abuse (Relationship Behavior Rating Scale–Revised) Using Item Response Theory Analysis

Abstract

There is a need for a screening instrument to provide insight into intimate partner abuse (IPA) to inform legal decisions in child custody, divorce, child welfare, and criminal cases. This study is the third validation of the Relationship Behavior Rating Scale–Revised (RBRS–R) for concurrent validity with the widely used Conflict Tactics Scales 2 (CTS2). Item response theory results show that the RBRS–R compares favorably to the CTS, but also provides a higher degree of resolution than the CTS2 with respect to additional elements of IPA that can be manifested in different situations or individuals. This additional information might be very important in determining the safest legal process (mediation versus traditional litigation) and appropriate case outcomes to protect victims of violence.

Keywords:

• divorce mediation
• domestic violence
• intimate partner violence
• measurement
• screening
• spousal abuse
• validation

Notes

¹ Historically IPA has been defined using several different terms and has alternately been labeled domestic violence, interpersonal violence, intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, spousal abuse, and family violence. Terms such as interpersonal violence or domestic violence often limit the types of behaviors to physical acts or those physical acts that risk the possibility of physical injury, although the actual range of harmful behaviors one partner can engage in against another is actually much broader. The term IPA was chosen because it encompasses the broadest range of behaviors. In this article, IPA is defined as any behavior that causes harm physically, psychologically, or sexually (Ellsberg, Jansen, Heise, Watts, & Garcia-Moreno, on behalf of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women Study Team, 2008).

J. Michael Menke is now Professor in the Faculty of Health and Medicine at International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.