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

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.