The domestic violence myth acceptance scale in Brazil: cross-cultural adaptation and initial construct-validity evidence

Domestic violence against women constitutes a structural public health problem. The original scale measures the endorsement of these beliefs but requires adaptation and psychometric validation for Brazilian Portuguese individuals. The aim of this study was to culturally adapt and psychometrically validate the scale for the Brazilian context. A cross-sectional study of cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation was conducted. The adaptation followed six phases, including independent translations, evaluation by expert judges, a pilot test, and back-translation approved by the original author. The psychometric validation study involved 504 Brazilian participants (52% women, 46.4% men, 1.6% nonbinary identities) aged between 18 and 80 years (M = 30; SD = 10.7) from all regions of the country who were recruited via convenience sampling via an online form. The factor structure was investigated via confirmatory factor analysis with the robust WLSMV estimator (DWLS), network analysis, and sex-specific measurement invariance tests. Reliability was assessed via Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Differences between groups were examined via the Mann‒Whitney test. The unifactorial model with residual covariances between semantically similar items showed good fit (CFI = 0.971; TLI = 0.966; RMSEA = 0.066; 90% CI [0.059, 0.073]; SRMR = 0.051). The same was true for internal consistency (α = 0.90; ω = 0.90). Network analysis (EGA, UVA) and bifactor model converged on essential unidimensionality (ECV = 0.782, ωH = 0.937), with the residual covariances reflecting local dependence between semantically overlapping items rather than distinct dimensions. Partial metric and partial scalar invariance between genders were supported. Compared with women, men endorsed significantly more myths (M = 2.44 vs. M = 1.90; r = − .30), with married or cohabiting heterosexual men showing the highest scores. The pattern of endorsement remained high even among participants with direct experience of violence, indicating that these beliefs operate as cultural repertoires resistant to change. The Brazilian version of the scale demonstrated satisfactory initial evidence of construct validity and reliability. Because convergent and discriminant validity were not assessed and invariance across gender was only partial, it is best regarded as culturally adapted with initial validity evidence rather than as fully validated, and it already offers a promising instrument for research and the evaluation of interventions aimed at addressing domestic and gender-based violence in Brazil.