Dating Violence Questionnaire for Victimization and Perpetration (DVQ-VP): An Interdependence Analysis of Self-Reports

Abstract

Background/Objective: Although measurement instruments for intimate partner violence (IPV) are available, their validity considering the interdependence of victimization and perpetration self-reports based on dyadic reports has not been tested. The aim was to test the validity and reliability of a new version of the Dating Violence Questionnaire (DVQ–R) that includes the interdependence of victimization and perpetration self-reports using current couple information. Method: Participants were young adults comprising 616 current heterosexual couples. Each dyad member responded to the victimization and perpetration versions of the DVQ-R independently from their partner. Results: The victimization-perpetration interdependence model based on dyadic data showed a good fit to the data and was invariant across sexes. All the factors were significantly correlated with each other and were reliable. Conclusions: The DVQ is a valid and reliable measurement instrument for the independent assessment of IPV perpetration and victimization in adolescent and young adult populations and an interdependent measure of IPV victimization and perpetration. The DVQ–VP is invariant across sexes, which makes the results obtained for males and females comparable. These results show the relevance of considering perpetration and victimization together and emphasize the necessity to be cautious regarding the excessive reliability of individual self-reported perpetration or victimization to obtain more precise knowledge.