Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale: A validity and reliability study in Turkey

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a substantial increase in the interest in violence occurring at home or school, as well as in neighborhoods. Yet, there is no standardized instrument to measure community violence in Turkey. Thus, the present study aimed to adapt the Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale into Turkish and explore its psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 210 participants (57% were females) between 18 and 64 years (Mage = 38.33, SD = 10.67). For criterion‐related validity, we evaluated the participants' scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Traumatic Life Events Form, the Relationship Quality Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. We performed all statistical analyses using the FACTOR and SPSS v.20 programs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 2‐factor structure for the scale (victimization and witnessing), explaining 52% of the total variance. As expected, the witnessing and victimization scores were correlated with the subscales of the BSI, the number of traumatic life events, and the subscales of The Relationship Quality Scale. For reliability concerns, we calculated Cronbach's α coefficients to be 0.79 for the victimization and 0.90 for the witnessing. Besides, the findings revealed acceptable psychometric properties for the Turkish version of the Exposure to Recurring Community Violence Scale. Thereby, we concluded that the scale can be used as a reliable and valid measure in the Turkish context. Overall, the scale will likely allow further research to scrutinize the risk factors and consequences of community violence.