Reliability of the revised conflict tactics scales (CTS2) in measuring prenatal intimate partner violence in the central region of Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction: Prenatal intimate partner violence (p-IPV) is drawing much attention from society and researchers due to its significant increase and complexity. There is no standardized scale to collect information related to p-IPV in Vietnam. Thus, our study aims to evaluate the reliability of the scale used to measure p-IPV. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 495 pregnant women in their third trimester (gestational age from 28-42 weeks) in Da Nang city. Information on p-IPV was collected based on Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). Based on Cronbach's alpha (α) and McDonald’s omega (ω), and test-retest to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale. Results: Our study found that p-IPV was observed in 27.8% of pregnant women, with the proportion of those enduring all three types of violence being 3.4%; experiencing any two forms of violence was 12.9%, and facing one type of violence was 11.4%. The CTS2 scale is evaluated with Cronbach's alpha (α) and McDonald’s omega (ω), and a test-retest of ≥0.8. Conclusion: The CTS2 has high reliability and can be utilized to explore aspects of i-IPV in the Central region of Vietnam. Keywords: Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2), intimate partner violence (IPV), pregnant women.