Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire of Violence in Young Couple Relationships (Virepa) in Metropolitan Lima, Peru

Abstract

Partner violence is a public health problem that seriously affects the population, which is why valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure this issue according to the cultural context. The objective is to determine the validity and reliability of the Violence in Partner Relationships Scale (VIREPA) aimed at citizens of Metropolitan Lima. The applied methodology was cross-sectional, instrumental, and non-experimental. The scale was applied to a sample of 433 subjects of both sexes, aged 16 to 60 years. Aiken’s V was obtained for content validity, which was accepted by 100% of the experts. Reliability was verified through internal consistency using Cronbach's Alpha (0.977) and Omega (0.99). The descriptive analysis of the items also showed positive skewness and a tendency towards moderate to low kurtosis. Likewise, the confirmatory factor analysis provided a positive distribution of items with factor loadings ranging from (0.76 to 0.95). The CFA reported a good fit of the original model (Chi-square over degrees of freedom = 0.12; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.010; Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = 0.0026; Comparative Fit Index = 0.999; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.998), and adequate factorial invariance was found when measuring the variable in both sexes. In conclusion, the psychometric scale effectively measures and evaluates violence in young couples' relationships, demonstrating high consistency, validity, and reliability, which was corroborated with the results obtained. It is essential to address this social problem properly and promote healthy and violence-free partner relationships. 

Received: 7 September 2023 / Accepted: 9 January 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024