Assessing child‐to‐parent violence: Measures of invariance and frequencies in young adults

Abstract Objective The main objective was to analyze the reliability, psychometric properties, and validity evidence of the Child‐to‐Parent Violence Questionnaire (CPV‐Q) youth version with an Ecuadorian sample. Background CPV is a form of youth violence in which children engage in violent behavior toward their parents. Previous studies have reported that CPV extends beyond the age of 18 years. Method In this study 1,516 intentionally selected young adults aged 18–26 years participated. They completed a sociodemographic form and the CPV‐Q for CPV behaviors. Several factor analyses were carried out; reliability indices, invariance by sex of the young adults, convergent and discriminant validity, and percentages by type of CPV toward both parents were calculated. Results The CPV‐Q has an excellent psychometric model, as well as good reliability and evidence of validity. Psychological CPV was the most frequent between 43.9% and 52.3%. Physical CPV was the least exercised between 1.9% and 3.4%. Conclusion CPV is a type of family violence that can be assessed and identified with the CPV‐Q. This scale presents adequate measurement indicators. In addition, percentages of the types of CPV are shown. Implications It provides an adapted, reliable psychometric instrument supported by strong validity evidence for the assessment of the CPV‐Q in young adults. It can be used by professionals working in different areas related to family violence. The main implication for future prevention and intervention studies is that this instrument can be used in longitudinal studies and for the development of explanatory models of this problem.