NCJ Number
201432
Date Published
2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
After addressing how to best develop operational definitions of violence against women in research, this chapter discusses various measurement strategies and then reviews the major features as well as the strengths and weaknesses of some of the most widely used research instruments in research on violence against women.
Abstract
The chapter begins by discussing the ways researchers have defined violence against women, followed by an examination of the implications of the various definitions for understanding violence against women. Once a definition is determined, a measurement strategy most appropriate for the final use of the data should be selected. Each measurement strategy has its strengths and limitations, and each strategy can provide different types of information about violence against women. The overview of measurement strategies first considers information collected from individuals. Such information can be obtained from observation and peer reports; surveys, including self-administered surveys; and interviews. A review of instruments that may be used in determining violence against women includes the Abusive Behavior Inventory, the Conflict Tactics Scales, the Conflict Tactics Scale 2, the Index of Spouse Abuse, the Measure of Wife Abuse, the Partner Abuse Scales, the Severity of Violence Against Women Scales, the Sexual Experiences Survey, and the Women's Experience With Battering Scale. Information on violence against women can also be collected from an examination of relevant records; these include hospital records, civil and criminal justice records, and service-provision records. The chapter advises that using more than one data collection strategy can provide more detailed information and stronger validity evidence than using a single method. In addition, it suggests that the widespread use of uniform definitions for violence against women will produce more reliable and comparable results across research studies. 31 references