Derivation and validation of a short emergency department screening tool for perpetrators of intimate partner violence: the PErpetrator RaPid Scale (PERPS).
Publication/Presentation Date
2-1-2012
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is no short screening tool for perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV), although one is needed.
OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively derive and prospectively validate a brief screening tool for perpetrators of IPV: the PErpetration RaPid Scale (PERPS).
METHODS: In the derivation phase of the study, we developed the PERPS based on historical data. The PERPS consists of three Yes/No questions about physical abuse of a partner. In the validation phase, we prospectively screened subjects during randomized 4-h shifts in a busy emergency department (ED). Subjects were asked to complete the newly derived three-question PERPS as well as the Physical Abuse of Partner Scale (PAPS), a 25-question Likert scale that is the gold standard for detection of physical abuse of a partner. The main outcome measures were sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, accuracy, and Cronbach alpha of the PERPS for internal consistency.
RESULTS: The PERP Scale derivation was based on a 207-subject historical database, and resulted in a three-question PERPS. Validation was completed on a new set of 214 patients presenting to the ED during 52 randomized 4-h shifts. The prevalence of IPV perpetration using the PERPS was 47/207 (22.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 16-27). For the PAPS, prevalence was 56/207 (27%; 95% CI 20-32). Compared with the PAPS, the sensitivity of the PERPS was 66%, specificity 93%, negative predictive value 87%, positive predictive value 78%, with an accuracy of 85%. Cronbach alpha of the PERPS was 0.68. Age, gender, and race were not predictive of positive results on either scale.
CONCLUSION: We successfully derived and validated a three-question perpetrator of IPV scale that can be used in a busy ED or office setting.
Volume
42
Issue
2
First Page
206
Last Page
217
ISSN
0736-4679
Published In/Presented At
Ernst, A. A., Weiss, S. J., Morgan-Edwards, S., Rihani, T., Coffman, B., Clark, R., Lucero, M., Jansen, L., Brokmeyer, J., Kaul, E., Hegyi, M., Ramone, B., & Valdez, M. (2012). Derivation and validation of a short emergency department screening tool for perpetrators of intimate partner violence: the PErpetrator RaPid Scale (PERPS). The Journal of emergency medicine, 42(2), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2011.01.032
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
21958452
Department(s)
Fellows and Residents
Document Type
Article