Physical Intimate Partner Violence Concordance Rates in Couples: Does CTS2 Item Order Matter?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Criminology

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) concordance rates between partners are consistently low across various samples.
• Discordance in IPV reports is a significant issue, as self-report questionnaires like the CTS2 are widely used for assessment.
• Existing research often relies on single-partner reports, potentially influenced by the presentation order of questionnaire items.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if altering the item presentation order of the CTS2 impacts IPV concordance rates between partners.
• To examine if changing the CTS2 item order affects the correlations between self-reported and partner-reported perpetration and victimization.
• To determine if a modified CTS2 format improves the reliability of IPV assessment.

Main Methods:

• Recruited two samples of heterosexual couples from a large metropolitan area in the United States.
• Administered the CTS2 in its standard format to the first sample.
• Administered a modified CTS2 version, presenting partner's behaviors before self-behaviors, to the second sample.

Main Results:

• Concordance rates among violent couples were higher in the group using the altered CTS2 format.
• Agreement on male IPV perpetration was particularly higher with the altered format.
• Concordance rates for severe IPV were similar across both groups, while minor IPV showed differences.

Conclusions:

• Modifying the item presentation order of the CTS2 may enhance interrater reliability, specifically for the Physical Assault Scale.
• The findings suggest a practical method to improve the accuracy of IPV assessment in couples.
• Further research is needed to explore the implications of item order on various aspects of IPV reporting.