Validity of Single Question for Screening Intimate Partner Violence among Urban Latina Women

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a single violence question compared with revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) as an initial tool which can be easily used in community-based health care settings to detect IPV in Latina women.

The study was conducted using secondary analyses of the baseline data from a culturally tailored HIV risk prevention project SEPA. A total of 657 Mexican and Puerto-Rican women aged 18-40, who reported sexual activities were interviewed.

We used data regarding sociodemographic factors, Latino acculturation, a single violence question of "Did your partner hit or hurt you in any way?" and the CTS2 measuring intimate partner violence.

Using the CTS2 as a gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of a single question for screening partner physical violence was 45.9% and 94.7%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio of a single question for physical violence was 8.59. The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio of a single question for screening psychological aggression were 17.9%, 98.5%, and 11.89, respectively.

While a single question used in our study needs further improvement for desirable sensitivity, it may be usable as an initial question for detecting IPV.