Although there are psychometric evaluations of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) when applied to heterosexual relationships, none has used item response theory (IRT).
IntroductionThe increase in family violence has generated a growing body of research on the development of measurement tools, including the class of instruments known as Conflict Tactics Scales 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 . These are based on 'conflict theory' and aim to identify strategies used by individuals to solve disagreements and impasses 8,9 . The first instrument in the series (CTS1) was proposed in the late 1970s and sought to address any kind of violent relationship 10 . Despite its encouraging evaluations over the years and successful use in at least 20 countries 3,11,12,13,14,15 , a more refined instrument was subsequently developed for dealing exclusively with intimate partner violence. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) was presented in 1996 and consists of 39 items forming five scales, namely negotiation (6 items), psychological aggression (8 items), physical violence (12 items), sexual coercion (7 items), and injury (6 items) 13 .The CTS2 has been studied since its release. Results show acceptable reliability, validity, and a factor structure in tune with the underlying theory 13,16,17,18,19 . However, when focusing on intimate partner violence in heterosexual couples, such psychometric evaluations have exclusively used classical test theory 20 . In order to address this gap, the aim of the present paper is to provide a more in-depth item analysis than is possible with traditional psychometric procedures.ARTIGO ARTICLE Reichenheim ME et al. 54