Initial Validation of the Immigration-Related Coercive Control Scale Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) experience coercive control tactics that exploit their immigration status, yet no validated measure of these tactics exists. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Immigration-Related Coercive Control Scale (IRCCS), a brief five-item measure. Data were drawn from two independent samples of immigrant IPV survivors recruited from domestic violence organizations (Sample 1, n = 196; Sample 2, n = 192). We conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Sample 1 and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Sample 2. Internal consistency, cross-sample factor congruence, and convergent validity with established measures of psychological, physical, sexual, and economic abuse were also assessed. The EFA supported a one-factor structure accounting for 35.8% of the variance, and the CFA supported this structure after allowing a residual association between two conceptually related items. Internal consistency was acceptable in both samples (ω = 0.73; ω = 0.79). Tucker's congruence coefficient was 0.97, indicating stable factor loadings across samples. The IRCCS was positively and significantly associated with other forms of IPV (r = .25 to 0.42), supporting convergent validity. The IRCCS shows promising psychometric properties as a brief measure of immigration-related coercive control. It offers researchers and practitioners a tool to identify a form of violence that other IPV instruments do not capture, with potential applications across clinical, advocacy, and legal settings.