Psychometric analysis of the scale of attitudes towards gender violence in Arequipa

Abstract

Gender-based violence has a negative impact on the psychological well-being of those who suffer it. In its measurement, there is no standard measure to assess and typify it. The objective of the study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the gender violence scale in Arequipa. A total of 1,427 people participated, of whom 828 were female (58.02%), 591 were male (41.42%) and 8 were of another gender (0.56%). The scale of attitudes towards gender violence was used, which has 3 dimensions (cognitive, affective, behavioral) and 12 items. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied with the 12 items with oblique rotation (oblimin) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), showing a two-factor structure: F1 - Cognitive Affective and F2 - Behavioral, with 10 items. The internal consistency analysis showed an Omega coefficient of .84 (95% CI= .81 - .88) and .74 (95% CI= .70 - .78) for each factor respectively. When evaluating the equivalence of the measurement according to sex, the instrument showed measurement invariance. It is concluded that the scale is valid and reliable for the assessment of attitudes towards gender violence.