Screening on intimate partner violence (IPV): Two studies on the validity of an IPV screening instrument in patients in substance abuse treatment

Many patients in substance abuse treatment have perpetrated and / or experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past year. To date, there are no screeners available to identify these patients. We developed a 4 item screening device for this purpose, the Jellinek Inventory for assessing Partner Violence (J-IPV). To investigate the validity of the J-IPV, 2 independent studies were conducted including 97 and 99 participants, respectively. Psychometric properties of the J-IPV were determined by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratio’s by comparing J-IPV outcomes to outcomes on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) (‘gold standard’). Results showed that the J-IPV possesses good psychometric properties to detect perpetrators and victims of any as well as severe IPV. We recommend administering the J-IPV to all patients entering substance abuse treatment; if IPV perpetrators and victims are identified, action can be taken to stop IPV perpetration and arrange help for victims.