Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Scale

Abstract

The Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Scale (ACVS), originally titled the Acceptance of Couple Violence Scale, is a specialized self-report measure developed primarily for use with adolescents. Its core function is to quantitatively assess the extent to which an individual accepts, justifies, or normalizes the use of physical aggression within intimate dating relationships. Developed as a component of the comprehensive Safe Dates Project, the ACVS is designed to evaluate underlying cognitive attitudes and beliefs that serve as powerful predictors of engagement in, or tolerance of, violent behavior. Due to its strong psychometric properties, the scale is frequently employed by researchers and clinicians focused on the prevention and mitigation of youth involvement in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Keywords

Acceptance of Couple Violence, ACVS, Dating Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Physical Aggression, Adolescent Attitudes, Psychometric Assessment, Youth Violence Prevention

Authors

V. A. Foshee, G. F. Linder, K. E. Bauman, S. A. Langwick, X. B. Arriaga, J. L. Heath, P. M. McMahon, S. Bangdiwala

Purpose

The primary objective of the Acceptance of Couple Violence Scale (ACVS) is to provide a quantitative measurement of an individual’s cognitive acceptance regarding the application of physical aggression as an acceptable or justifiable method for resolving conflict or expressing intense emotion within a dating context. This measurement is considered crucial in prevention research because attitudes that normalize violence are frequently precursors to the actual perpetration of or vulnerability to violent behavior.

In research settings, the ACVS functions as a valuable predictive tool, helping to accurately identify specific populations or individuals who hold permissive attitudes toward couple violence. By identifying these risk factors, researchers can better predict potential future engagement in or vulnerability to such behavior. Furthermore, the scale is routinely used to assess the efficacy of violence prevention programs, such as the Safe Dates Project, by measuring significant changes in attitudes over time following intervention.

Construct

The ACVS measures the psychological construct defined as the acceptability of physical aggression in dating relationships. This construct is recognized as multidimensional and is systematically broken down into three specific subscales, each reflecting distinct dimensions of acceptance concerning the direction and context of the violence:

• Acceptance of Male on Female Violence: This cluster of items focuses specifically on the justification or excusing of aggression perpetrated by a male partner against a female partner.
• Acceptance of Female on Male Violence: This subscale focuses on items justifying or excusing aggression perpetrated by a female partner against a male partner.
• Acceptance of General Dating Violence: These items focus on the general normalization of violence as a viable method for conflict resolution or emotional expression within a couple, irrespective of specific gender roles.

A higher cumulative score on the ACVS signifies a greater degree of belief that physical violence is an acceptable, necessary, or justifiable response within an intimate relationship, thereby reflecting a critical risk factor for future involvement in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Validity

Although detailed specifications of various validity types (e.g., construct validity, criterion validity) are not explicitly detailed in the source documentation, the scale is consistently reported to possess strong overall psychometric properties. This foundational strength confirms that the ACVS effectively and accurately measures the intended construct: the acceptance of couple violence. Its widespread utilization across numerous academic studies dedicated to predicting engagement in violent behavior implicitly supports its high predictive validity. Moreover, the empirical distinction of the measure into three separate subscales suggests a robust dimensional structure that accurately reflects the specific, contextual nature of dating violence acceptance among youth.

Reliability

The ACVS has demonstrated strong empirical reliability characteristics, making it highly suitable for rigorous academic and clinical research applications. Specifically, the scale exhibits high internal consistency, which is crucial as it indicates that the various items within the scale measure the same underlying construct uniformly and coherently. Additionally, the scale has shown good test-retest reliability. This characteristic confirms that the scores obtained from respondents remain stable and consistent across repeated administrations over time, provided there has been no significant change in the respondent’s fundamental attitudes toward relationship violence.

Factor Analysis

The hypothesized structure of the ACVS is strongly supported by an empirical factor analysis, which yielded three distinct subscales. This result confirms the multidimensional nature of the acceptance construct being measured. The analysis organizes the 11 scored items into coherent groupings based on the specific type of violence accepted or justified:

1. Acceptance of Male on Female Violence: Corresponds to Items 1, 3, and 4.
2. Acceptance of Female on Male Violence: Corresponds to Items 5, 6, and 8.
3. Acceptance of General Dating Violence: Corresponds to Items 2, 7, 9, 10, and 11.

This validated three-factor structure is essential for researchers, as it allows for nuanced differentiation between justifications specific to gender roles in violence and the general acceptance of aggression as a relationship management tool.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure / Attitudinal scale

Format: The scale consists of 11 items rated using a 4-point Likert scale. Respondents are required to select the answer that best aligns with their personal beliefs. The standard scoring key assigns the values: 1 (Strongly Disagree), 2 (Disagree), 3 (Agree), and 4 (Strongly Agree). It is important to note that while some early descriptions mentioned a 5-point scale, the detailed scoring instructions specify a 4-point scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Adolescents / Youth

Age Group: Students in grades 8–9 (typically corresponding to ages 13 to 15 years old)

Population Details: The scale was meticulously developed and validated within samples of middle school and high school students who participated in violence prevention research initiatives, such as the Safe Dates Project.

Test Methodology: Scores are derived either by summing the point values of the responses within each specific subscale or by calculating the total sum of all points and dividing by the number of responses. A consistently higher resulting score indicates a greater level of acceptance and normalization of couple violence.

Keywords

Adolescent attitudes, Dating relationships, Physical aggression, Violence prevention, Delinquency and Antisocial Behavior, Measurement tool, Psychometric assessment, Attitude change.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (V. A. Foshee)

Correspondence Address: University of North Carolina (based on author affiliation website: http://www.unc.edu)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Fees and Requirements: No fees or specific requirements are noted in the source documentation. The scale is widely considered available for non-commercial research use, as it was published in a compendium of assessment tools produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Test Year: The scale is primarily associated with the Safe Dates Project (1996) and was officially published in a compendium of tools in 1998. It was also referenced in later works (e.g., 2003) as having been developed by researchers affiliated with the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The instrument can be found on page 38 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

An additional PDF reference containing scale information is available here: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED486261.pdf

Reference’s

• Foshee, V. A., Linder, G. F., Bauman, K. E., Langwick, S. A., Arriaga, X. B., Heath, J. L., McMahon, P. M., & Bangdiwala, S. (1996). The Safe Dates Project: Theoretical basis, evaluation design, and selected baseline findings. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 12 (5, Supplement), 39-47.
• Foshee, V. A., Bauman, K. E., Zrriaga, X., Helms, R. W., Koch, G. G., & Linder, G. F. (1998). An evaluation of Safe Dates, an adolescent dating violence prevention program. American Journal of Public Health, 88 (1), 45-50.
• Dahlberg, L., Toal, S. B., & Behrens, C. B. (1998). Measuring violence-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Items of the Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. A boy angry enough to hit his girlfriend must love her very much.
2. Violence between dating partners can improve the relationship.
3. Girls sometimes deserve to be hit by the boys they date.
4. A girl who makes her boyfriend jealous on purpose deserves to be hit.
5. Boys sometimes deserve to be hit by the girls they date.
6. A girl angry enough to hit her boyfriend must love him very much.
7. There are times when violence between dating partners is okay.
8. A boy who makes his girlfriend jealous on purpose deserves to be hit.
9. Sometimes violence is the only way to express your feelings.
10. Some couples must use violence to solve their problems.
11. Violence between dating partners is a personal matter and people should not interfere.