Assessing Intimate Partner Violence in South Asian Women Using the Index of Spouse Abuse

Violence Against Women. 2020 May;26(6-7):697-711. doi: 10.1177/1077801219842945. Epub 2019 May 3.

Abstract

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) affects 21-40% of South Asian (SA) women in the United States. No screening tool has been validated in this population. This study sought to determine the validity of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) as an IPV screening tool and to determine the prevalence of IPV among a SA immigrant population. Thirty-one percent of women screened positive on one or both ISA scales. The ISA-P and ISA-NP items were highly reliable as was the correlation between the ISA-P and ISA-NP scores. The ISA is a valid and reliable IPV screening tool in the SA immigrant population.

Keywords: Index of Spouse Abuse; South Asian immigrants; intimate partner violence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Asian People / statistics & numerical data*
  • Emigrants and Immigrants / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intimate Partner Violence / ethnology
  • Intimate Partner Violence / statistics & numerical data*
  • Mass Screening / standards
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Spouse Abuse / diagnosis*
  • Spouse Abuse / ethnology
  • Spouse Abuse / statistics & numerical data
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards
  • United States / epidemiology