Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Violence against Women among Myanmar Migrant Women in Thailand

Abstract

Introduction: Violence against women (VAW) is a serious human rights violation with significant implications for public health. VAW affects the well-being of women, children, and families. This study aims to develop and validate a scale specifically designed for identifying and assisting migrant women who have experienced violence. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using stratified sampling was conducted among 295 Myanmar migrant women in Thailand. Violence among these women was assessed using self-administered questionnaires with data collection taking 15-20 min per participant between September and December 2023. The construct validity of the Violence against Migrant Women Scale (VAMWS) was confirmed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) estimated by weighted least squares means and variance with Geomin rotation in Mplus software. Results: The EFA revealed a 13-item scale with a four-factor structure that fit the data exceptionally well, as indicated by the high comparative fit index of 0.99 and low root mean square error of approximation value of 0.02. Communalities ranged from 0.58 to 0.99 and rotated factor correlations between 0.36 and 0.53. The four dimensions were as follows: F1 - physical (4 items, loadings 0.51-0.73), F2 - sexual (2 items, loadings 0.66-0.99), F3 - psychological (3 items, loadings 0.57-0.73), and F4 - economic (3 items, loadings 0.50-0.78). VAMWS had Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 and corrected item-total correlation values from 0.53 to 0.74. Physical violence, experienced by 50% of respondents, was most common, primarily by spouses, then siblings, acquaintances, employers, parents, and friends. Conclusion: VAMWS is applicable for assessing violence prevalence across multiple sectors, including health care, social services, law enforcement, and future research endeavors.