Psychometric Properties of Instruments for Perpetration and Victimization of Dating Violence in Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Adolescent dating violence is a significant public health concern with long-term consequences for the emotional and psychological development of young people. Accurate assessment of this phenomenon requires instruments with strong psychometric properties. This study aimed to identify and examine the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure perpetration and victimization in adolescent dating violence. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the psychometric properties of instruments assessing perpetration and victimization in adolescent dating violence through a systematic review of the scientific literature and a meta-analysis of reliability and structural validity. Methods: The study employed a systematic review and meta-analytic design. Data were collected from major scientific databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible studies were those published in English or Spanish that evaluated the reliability and validity of instruments measuring adolescent dating violence. Reliability indices, such as Cronbach’s alpha, were synthesized through meta-analysis, while structural validity was examined using factor-analytic approaches. Results: The findings indicated that the instruments generally demonstrated high levels of reliability and adequate structural validity, with strong overall alpha and omega coefficients and excellent model fit indices. Nevertheless, significant heterogeneity was observed across studies, and lower coefficients for the assessment of sexual violence suggested the need for further refinement in this domain. Limitations included variability among studies, potential publication bias, and insufficient reporting of detailed demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Overall, the available instruments appear to be reliable and valid for assessing adolescent dating violence. However, additional research is needed to enhance the precision of sexual violence measurement and to strengthen the generalizability of these instruments across diverse populations and contexts.