Validation of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse.
BACKGROUND
Partner violence against women is a major public health problem. Although there are currently a number of validated screening and diagnostic tools that can be used to evaluate this type of violence, such tools are not available in Spain. The aim of this study is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA).


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 in two health centers in Granada, Spain, in 390 women between 18 and 70 years old. Analyses of the factorial structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity were conducted. Cutoff points for each subscale were also defined. For the construct validity analysis, the SF-36 perceived general health dimension, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Goldberg 12-item General Health Questionnaire were included.


RESULTS
The psychometric analysis shows that the instrument has good internal consistency, reproducibility, and construct validity.


CONCLUSIONS
The scale is useful for the analysis of partner violence against women in both a research setting and a healthcare setting.
Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain.
Juncal
J
Plazaola-Castaño
Isabel
I
Ruiz-Pérez
Vicenta
V
Escribà-Agüir
Juan Manuel
JM
Jiménez-Martín
Elisa
E
Hernández-Torres
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013030:Spain; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult