Development and confirmatory factor analysis of the non-violent and violent offending behavior scale (NVOBS)

The purpose of this research was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of violent and non-violent offending, suitable for both male and female participants in general (non-forensic) samples. Potential items were selected from existing measures. A sample of 653 British university students completed all items, and their responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and validated with confirmatory factor analysis. There were five separate factors (general violence, drug-related offenses, partner violence, theft, and criminal damage), which were confirmed with acceptable fit indices. The five-factor model applied to both males and females. Each subscale demonstrated good internal consistency, with alphas for each factor ranging from moderate to good. This new measure is a potentially valuable research tool for investigating people's involvement in violent and non-violent offending. The importance of examining the psychometric properties of scales, and confirming the category groupings using CFA of the items is outlined.