Psychometric validation of the Turkish version of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) in emergency department settings.

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence is a major public health problem affecting women worldwide, and reliable screening tools are essential for early identification in healthcare settings. This study aimed to adapt the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability.

METHODS

This methodological and cross-sectional study was conducted with 191 women presenting to an emergency department. Data were collected using a Participant Information Form and the WAST. The adaptation process included language and content validity assessments followed by evaluations of construct validity and reliability using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

RESULTS

The participants' mean age was 28 ± 5 years; 69.6% were married, and 38.2% reported previous exposure to violence. The content validity ratio indicated a high level of expert consensus (CVR = 1.00). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure consisting of seven items explaining 68.67% of the total variance. Internal consistency analysis showed good reliability for the overall scale and both subdimensions (Cronbach's α = 0.80). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the model had an acceptable fit with the data.

CONCLUSION

The Turkish version of the WAST demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability. The scale may serve as a useful screening instrument for identifying intimate partner violence among women in emergency healthcare settings and may contribute to improved assessment, early identification, and intervention in women's health services.