Addressing Domestic Violence in Antenatal Care Environments 2 (ADVANCE 2)

ADVANCE 2 builds on the accomplishments of the original ADVANCE study (2013-2018), which established an international collaboration of researchers and health providers addressing the field of domestic violence. The focus is on supporting women living with domestic violence in pregnancy in Nepal, an important cause of poor pregnancy outcomes. Domestic violence is highest in low-income countries, yet the scientific evidence for interventions in antenatal care is most lacking in these contexts. The study aims to remedy this gap in four complementary work packages (sub-studies), employing interdisciplinary research methods. The goal is to enable antenatal care providers in Nepal to identify effectively and assist pregnant women living with domestic violence. This data archive is for the initial phase (first work package) of the project, where clinical pretesting is carried out to adapt culturally, and to validate a linguistically relevant version of the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS) specifically for routine clinical use in Nepal. This version is called the Nepalese Abuse Assessment Screen (N-AAS).

Concerning the variables labeled 'Retest': In the study, the reliability of a questionnaire was assessed using a test-retest analysis. Participants completed the same questionnaire at two different time points, allowing the researchers to assess the same variables twice - first at the initial time point (T1 or 'Test') and again later (T2 or 'Retest'). This methodology is detailed in the journal article associated with this data.

To evaluate the precision of the 7 questions validated in this study (called the Nepalese-Abuse Assessment Screen or N-AAS), participants' answers were compared to the same questions administered via computer-assisted interview and the gold standard, which is a traditional face-to-face interview with participants, conducted by an interviewer.

In the Data4 datafile the variable 'Expert_category' includes different types of experts who reviewed and provided feedback on the Nepalese Abuse Assessment Screen (N-AAS) questions:
- International experts = professionals with expertise in domestic violence or related fields from various international organizations. They participated in Delphi rounds during the study to assess and provide feedback on the N-AAS.
- National experts = a group of national professionals such as nurses, psychologists, researchers, and clinicians based in Nepal who reviewed and evaluated the N-AAS during the Delphi method. The numbers (1, 2, etc.) represent different national experts/different people.
- User experts = a group of pregnant women who participated in cognitive interviews, providing feedback on the N-AAS based on their own experiences. These women assessed our questions for relevance, understandability, and sensitivity.

The questions marked with 'Relevant,' 'Understandable/Clear', and 'Sensitive' were assessed by experts using a five-point Likert scale as follows:
- Relevance: The expert panels rated each question based on its importance and pertinence for measuring domestic violence. A score of 0 indicated the question was irrelevant, while a score of 4 indicated it was highly relevant.
- Understandability/Clarity: The experts assessed whether the wording of each question was clear and easy to understand. A score of 0 meant the question was non-understandable, whereas a score of 4 meant it was easily understandable.
- Sensitivity: The experts evaluated the level of sensitivity of each question, particularly in the context of the cultural environment of Nepal. A score of 0 indicated the question was highly sensitive, while a score of 4 indicated it was non-sensitive.