Development and Validation of Lost Days of Labor Productivity Scale to Evaluate the Business Cost of Intimate Partner Violence

Developing scientific evidence showing the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on companies’ productivity is an effective way to involve them in IPV prevention. However, there are no suitable and brief self-report instruments available that measure this impact on labor settings. This study develops and assesses the measurement properties of lost days of labor productivity scale based on tardiness, absenteeism, and presenteeism which may be due to IPV. Fourteen items have been developed and tested for 2,017 employees in 306 companies in Ghana, Pakistan, and South Sudan. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, heterotrait–monotrait matrix, and reliability coefficients have been conducted to assess the reliability of the scores. Confirmatory factor analysis indicates a two-factor second-order solution, stable by sex and countries. All subscales demonstrate good reliability, construct and discriminant validity, showing that the scale is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire, which may measure the impact of IPV on businesses.

Download Full-text

Preliminary Report on the Accountability Scale: A Change and Outcome Measure for Intimate Partner Violence Research

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/088667007782312177 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 515-531 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Daniela M. Costa ◽

Brittany Canady ◽

Julia C. Babcock

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Discriminant Validity ◽

Readiness To Change ◽

Community Sample ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Two Factors

The current study investigated the reliability of a new self-report questionnaire assessing accountability for the perpetration of intimate partner violence. The Accountability Scale (AS) is a brief, Likert-type measure designed to assess the degree to which perpetrators acknowledge and accept responsibility for their violent actions. In Study #1, an exploratory factor analysis on a clinical sample revealed two factors: Acknowledging Harm and Internalizing Responsibility. In Study #2, the factor structure was replicated on a community sample using confirmatory factor analysis, revealing an 11-item solution. Factor 1 was related to readiness to change but negatively related to social desirability, suggesting convergent and discriminant validity of that subscale. Factor 2 was negatively related to Factor 1 in the community sample, calling into question the construct of accountability. Preliminary evidence suggests that the AS shows promise as a brief and reliable tool to assess forms of accountability. Future research will examine if the two factors of accountability function as mechanisms of change and outcome measures in intimate partner violence intervention research.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in the Workplace: Results of a Saskatchewan Survey

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520921875 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052092187

Author(s):

Crystal J. Giesbrecht

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Small Body ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Web Based ◽

Survey Results ◽

Violence In The Workplace ◽

The Impact

The present study adds to the small body of research that illustrates that when individuals are experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) at home, they are impacted at work. Data were collected using an anonymous web-based self-report survey of workers in Saskatchewan, Canada. Survey results demonstrate that IPV is prevalent among the workers surveyed. Half of all survey respondents reported that they had experienced IPV, and for 83%, it impacted them in work in at least one way. Some respondents had lost a job as a result of the abuse. In addition, the survey found that some respondents who had experienced IPV did not identify as having experienced IPV, demonstrating the need for increased public awareness about IPV. Recommendations for workplace responses to IPV are offered.

Download Full-text

A Multi-Method Approach to a Comprehensive Examination of the Psychiatric and Neurological Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence in Women: A Methodology Protocol

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.569335 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Tara E. Galovski ◽

Kimberly B. Werner ◽

Katherine M. Iverson ◽

Stephanie Kaplan ◽

Catherine B. Fortier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Head Injury ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Trauma Exposure ◽

The United States ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Multi Method Approach ◽

The Impact ◽

Method Approach

The number of women in the United States that experience blows to the head during assaults by intimate partners is substantial. The number of head blows that result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is virtually unknown, but estimates far exceed numbers of TBI in parallel populations (e.g., blast exposure, accidents, sports) combined. Research on the impact of TBI on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) is sparse. This methodology paper describes the comprehensive, multi-method approach used by a multi-disciplinary team of investigators from several different fields of expertise to assess the interaction of psychiatric, cognitive, psychological, and physical conditions that result from IPV. Using state-of-the-art instruments, a comprehensive assessment of lifetime trauma exposure, lifetime history of TBI, psychiatric history, and a full assessment of current cognitive, neuropsychological and biomedical function was conducted with 51 female survivors of IPV who screened positive for PTSD. This multi-method assessment included clinician-administered diagnostic interviews modified to specifically assess the sequelae of IPV, standardized self-report surveys, neuropsychological tests, structural, diffusion, and functional neuroimaging and blood-based biomarkers. The specific details and full report of the results of the full study are beyond the scope of this methodology paper. Descriptive characteristics of the complex clinical presentation observed in this unique sample are described. The sample reported high rates of trauma exposure across the lifespan and 80% met full criteria for current PTSD. Women also reported high rates of lifetime subconcussive head injury (88.2%) and TBI (52.9%) from various etiologies (35.3% secondary to IPV). Descriptive findings from the methodological protocol described here have begun to reveal information that will advance our understanding of the impact of subconcussive head injury and TBI on recovery from mental injury among IPV survivors.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on PTSD Symptoms Among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.vv-d-12-00090 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 984-999 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Robyn L. Gobin ◽

Katherine M. Iverson ◽

Karen Mitchell ◽

Rachel Vaughn ◽

Patricia A. Resick

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Ptsd Symptom ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Symptom Clusters ◽

Self Report ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

The Impact

Objective: Intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors often report histories of childhood maltreatment, yet the unique contributions of childhood maltreatment on IPV survivors’ distinct posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms remain inadequately understood. Method: Using interview and self-report measures, we examined IPV as a potential mediator of the association between childhood maltreatment and severity of PTSD symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal) among a sample of 425 women seeking help for recent IPV. Results: Structural equation modeling demonstrated that while both childhood maltreatment and IPV were both positively associated with PTSD symptom clusters, IPV did not mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and severity of PTSD symptom clusters among acute IPV survivors. Conclusions: Childhood maltreatment has persistent effects on the PTSD symptoms of IPV survivors, suggesting that child maltreatment may need to be addressed in addition to IPV during PTSD treatment.

Download Full-text

The Revised Safe At Home Instrument for Assessing Readiness to Change Intimate Partner Violence

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.23.4.508 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 508-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Audrey L. Begun ◽

Michael J. Brondino ◽

Daniel Bolt ◽

Benjamin Weinstein ◽

Terri Strodthoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Factor Model ◽

Readiness To Change ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Self Report ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

High Degree ◽

Report Measure ◽

At Home

This article describes the development and factor structure of the Revised Safe At Home instrument, a 35-item self-report measure designed to assess individuals’ readiness to change their intimate partner violence behaviors. Seven new items have been added, representing content specific to the Maintenance stage, and other items have been revised to strengthen the assessment of earlier stages and address gender concerns. Confirmatory factor analysis using multisite data (two sites, a total of 281 men at intake) supported the conclusion that a four-factor model (Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation/Action, and Maintenance stages) was consistent with the observed covariances. A high degree of correlation between the Preparation/Action and Maintenance scales was observed, but subsequent testing indicated a need to treat the two as distinct factors in the model. It is recommended that scoring include only 31 items that perform well.

Download Full-text