PSYCHOMETRY OF AN INSTRUMENT ANALYSIS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

The present study aimed to analyze the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Violence Against Women (WHO VAW) instrument, which adopts a gender perspective to assess violence against women, for use in emergency situations, such as the one promoted by COVID-19. This is a cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive and, ultimately, methodological study, carried out based on data collected using the WHO VAW questionnaire with women reported in the epidemiological surveillance system of the city of Montes Claros – Minas Gerais with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19, from May to December 2020. 443 women were selected for this study. The participants' ages ranged from 18 to 59 years old, with a mean of 33.9 years old and a standard deviation of 10.0 years old. The data resulting from the cross-sectional were subjected to a descriptive statistical analysis, with the specific objective of structuring, summarizing, and displaying the data collected in the form of text and tables. To fulfill the ultimate objective of evaluating the psychometric properties and validity of the WHO VAW in the pandemic context, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the instrument's viability. The WHO VAW scale presented satisfactory psychometric properties of factorial, convergent, and discriminant construct validity, as well as reliability. From the results of the quantitative and descriptive analysis and combinatorial factor analysis, a ceiling effect was identified in the Psychological Violence dimension (51.47%) and a floor effect in the Sexual Violence dimension (85.33%). Furthermore, the WHO VAW scores for the psychological, physical, and sexual dimensions presented the respective values: 4.15 (+2.23) points; 3.65 (+ 3.60) points; and 0.63 (+1.60) points. The feasibility of using the WHO VAW as an instrument for identifying and controlling violence against women in public health emergency contexts, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, was confirmed.