[Validation of the short version of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool for use in primary care in Spain].
OBJECTIVE
To examine the criterion validity of the Spanish short version of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) to identify battered women among those attending primary health care services in Spain.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study in two primary care centers in Granada. A total of 390 women between 18 and 70 years old were studied. The Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) was used as the gold standard.


RESULTS
Two score criteria were used. Using the first criterion, 132 women (33.8%) scored positively. The sensitivity was 91.4%, specificity was 76.2%, positive predictive value 40.2% and negative predictive value was 98.1%. Five women with a negative WAST score obtained a positive ISA score (false negatives). Seventy-nine women obtained a positive score in the WAST, with a negative score in the ISA (false positives).


CONCLUSIONS
These results coincide with the sensitivity and specificity values obtained in the validation of the instrument in Spanish-speaking women in the USA, which also recommend the use of the first criterion. The Spanish short version of the WAST is a suitable instrument to be used by health professionals for the early detection of gender violence in the healthcare context of Spain. However, because of its low specificity, this instrument should be used with caution.
Plazaola-Castaño
Juncal
J
Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, Spain.
Ruiz-Pérez
Isabel
I
Hernández-Torres
Elisa
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018585:Battered Women; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires