Dating Violence in University Students: Validation of the DVQ-VP Scale In Bolivia/Violencia en el noviazgo en estudiantes universitarios: validacion de la escala DVQ-VP en Bolivia

Background. Dating violence is an increasingly studied subject as it is related to the initial stages of what could later become intimate partner violence and even intrafamily violence. It is believed that love can cause behavioral patterns that will eventually become habits. The objective of this study is to have valid and reliable instruments, adapted to different contexts, to accurately and promptly evaluate victims and aggressors and guide an appropriate intervention. Method. we worked with 2216 volunteer university students from Bolivia who had at least one relationship in the past twelve months. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to adapt the Dating Violence Questionnaire for Victimization and Perpetration (DVQ-VP) for the Bolivian context. Results. the appropriate psychometric characteristics were confirmed for evaluating violence in dating relationships using a reduced version of 18 items in a five-factor model for victims and a single-factor scale for the evaluation of aggressors, which were found to be invariant for sex. Conclusions. a significant variability was found among the studies, making them less comparable. The implications and limitations of the study are noted. Keywords. Dating Violence; Adaptation; Psychometrics; Validation. Antecedentes. La violencia en el noviazgo es un tema que se estudia cada vez mas, ya que se relaciona con las etapas iniciales de lo que mas tarde podria convertirse en violencia de pareja e incluso violencia intrafamiliar. Se cree que el amor puede causar patrones de comportamiento que eventualmente se convertiran en habitos. El objetivo de este estudio es contar con instrumentos validos y fiables, adaptados a diferentes contextos, para evaluar con precision y prontitud a las victimas y agresores, ademas de orientar una intervencion adecuada. Metodo. Trabajamos con 2216 estudiantes universitarios voluntarios de Bolivia que tuvieron al menos una relacion de pareja en los ultimos doce meses. Se realizo analisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio para adaptar el DVQ-VP al contexto boliviano. Resultados. Se confirmaron las caracteristicas psicometricas adecuadas para evaluar la violencia en las relaciones de noviazgo utilizando una version reducida de 18 items en un modelo de cinco factores para las victimas y una escala de un solo factor para la evaluacion de los agresores, que se encontraron invariantes para el sexo. Conclusiones. Se senalan las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio.