Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the cyber dating abuse questionnaire in colombian adolescents and young adults

Abstract

Introduction/objective: Studies carried out in some countries, including Colombia, indicate high prevalences of cyber dating abuse. However, in that country there are no validated instruments to measure this form of violence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire. Method: The participants were 2023 college and university students (53% female), 13-40 years aged. Results: The exploratory factor analysis showed the convenience of preserving the original structure of 20 items on the two scales of the instrument (perpetration and victimization) and the two subscales of each (“direct aggression” and “monitoring/control”). This structure was ratified by confirmatory factor analysis with adequate adjustment indices. In addition, the four subscales correlated significantly with each other and with the scales of the Checklist of Experiences of Psychological Abuse in the Couple. Alpha indices ranged from .75 to .87. Conclusions: These results indicate that the instrument has psychometric properties that ensure its use with Colombian adolescents and young adults.