Development of a questionnaire to better understand verbal violence among college students: preliminary results from a cluster random sample

This study developed the College Student Verbal Violence Questionnaire and conducted a questionnaire survey using this instrument to comprehensively understand verbal violence among college students. A cross-sectional design was adopted to conduct a collective survey on three samples through Wenjuanxing (an online survey platform). We selected four higher vocational colleges in Guangzhou, China, for the sampling population. A cluster random sampling method was used to obtain data from 1,092 students. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted on this sample, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis and reliability and validity testing with 713 students. Finally, a questionnaire survey on verbal violence was conducted involving 1,102 students. The College Student Verbal Violence Questionnaire comprises 19 items across five dimensions: Verbal Violence Evaluation, Duration of Verbal Violence Impact, Verbal Violence Behaviors, Emotions Related to Verbal Violence, and Family Verbal Violence. Internal consistency coefficients of the overall scale and each dimension ranged from 0.750 to 0.946, and the test–retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.742 to 0.936. The questionnaire demonstrated good content, structural, discriminant, and convergent validities. The results indicated that the level of verbal violence experienced by current college students was higher than the moderate level. Female students scored significantly higher than male students in the dimensions of Verbal Violence Evaluation, Duration of Verbal Violence Impact, Verbal Violence Behaviors, Emotions Related to Verbal Violence, and the total score of the questionnaire. College students from urban areas scored significantly higher than those from rural areas in the Emotions Related to Verbal Violence dimension. A positive correlation was observed between the level of verbal violence and mental health. The College Student Verbal Violence Questionnaire is an initially promising tool for measuring verbal violence among college students. This study demonstrated that the level of verbal violence among college students positively correlated with their mental health. These findings help to accurately understand and analyze verbal violence among college students, which can help government education departments to prioritize and address the issue, thereby preventing it. However, additional research is required in the future to further enhance the tool’s validity evidence.