The Intimate Partner Violence Video Rating Scale: Instrument Development and Psychometric Properties

Thursday, 15 July 2010: 10:30 AM

Donna Scott Tilley, PhD
College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX

Learning Objective 1: describe the development and testing process for the Intimate Partner Violence Video Rating Scale

Learning Objective 2: discuss the importance of understanding differences in perceptions of what behaviors constitute intimate partner violence among various groups.

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious health and psychosocial concern in the US and the world.  An estimated one woman in three experiences an assault by an intimate partner in her lifetime.  There is little agreement about what specific behaviors constitute an act of IPV.  For instance, men convicted of IPV expressed that they were not aware that forcing one's wife to have sex was considered marital rape.  Others believed assault did not occur if they 'only slapped' their partner.  Victims may report that if they were 'only slapped' or called names, then abuse did not occur.  To maximize the effectiveness of preventive and intervention efforts, it is important to understand what behaviors various groups believe constitute IPV. 
Methods: An instrument called the Intimate Partner Violence Video Rating Scale (IPVVRS) was developed to measure what behaviors are considered to be IPV by the person completing the instrument.  A series of thirteen one minute or shorter video clips depicting various forms of IPV (with control clips included) was compiled by the PI.  Experts on IPV were consulted to estimate agreement about whether violence was depicted in each clip (or not for control clips) and the type of violence depicted.  To capture the scope of IPV, it was important to include several types of violence in the IPVVRS so clips depicting verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse were included. 
Results: Experts agreed that 10 of the 13 clips depicted violence.  One clip was replaced with a control clip.  Two of the clips were retained as control clips. Ongoing testing for instrument reliabilty and validity is underway.  The instrument is currently being tested with males and females aged 19-25. 
Conclusion: Video clips are an effective way to assess perceptions of what behaviors constitute IPV.  More research is needed to test the reliability and validity of the IPVVRS.