Cross-Cultural Validation of a Spanish-Language Version of the Composite Abuse Scale (Revised) – Short Form (CASR-SF)

Abstract

The Composite Abuse Scale (Revised) – Short Form (CASR-SF) was developed with the aim of providing a brief, reliable, and valid self-report measure that could adequately capture the complexity of intimate partner violence (IPV). Unlike many commonly used IPV instruments, it is a multidimensional measure that is appropriate for diverse groups and contexts and can be easily incorporated in population-based surveys or studies with multiple scales. Despite these benefits, however, there is limited evidence regarding the psychometric properties of the CASR-SF. Thus, the current study aimed to perform a broad validation study of a new Spanish-language version of the CASR-SF. A large community sample of adults residing in the Dominican Republic was recruited (n = 1,117; age = 18-74; 82.7% female). Overall, the content validity, dimensionality, factor structure, measurement invariance, criterion validity, and reliability assessments indicated that the Spanish-language CASR-SF was a valid and reliable measure of the four core dimensions of IPV: sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and stalking, the latter a novel finding of this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed several at-risk populations for IPV, including females, sexual minorities (lesbian/gay/bisexual), and those with lower economic and education levels. Additionally, psychological abuse emerged as the IPV dimension most consistently and uniquely related with negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The collective evidence of this study suggests that the CASR-SF is an excellent tool for the research of IPV victimization across cultures.

Validation of an Arabic version of the Composite Abuse Scale (Revised)-Short Form (CASR- SF) as a measure of intimate partner violence in adult females from a Middle-Eastern country

“…Additionally, the second-order model, with three factors contributing to one total score, demonstrated a good t, further supporting the scale's validity, in agreement to the original version of the CASR-SF having a three-factor model (physical, sexual and psychological) [34]. However, the Spanish version [35] used the exploratory structured equation modelling and yielded a four-factor solution, where the EGA estimates suggested a fourth dimension denoted as "stalking". This consistency suggests that the scale's structure remains stable across different populations, facilitating meaningful cross-national comparisons of abuse scores.…”

“…The original validation of the CASR-SF con rmed its three-factor structure, good internal consistency, and convergent validity [19]. The Spanish version of the CASR-SF also supported these ndings, demonstrating robust psychometric properties and sex invariance, highlighting its applicability across different cultures and genders [35].…”

“…Speci cally, in the original study [34], Cronbach's alpha values were 0.91 for emotional abuse, 0.86 for physical abuse, harassment, and injury, and 0.83 for sexual abuse. Similarly, the Spanish version showed alpha/omega internal consistency coe cients exceeding 0.70, ensuring the scale's replicability across diverse cultural settings [35].…”

“…Compared to the long form, the CASR-SF [34] has only been translated to and validated in the Spanish population, where it successfully demonstrated the cross-cultural applicability and reliability of the CASR-SF in this population [35]. Yet, to date, no efforts have been made to validate the CASR-SF in Arabic.…”