An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Inventory of Beliefs of Wife Beating for African American College Students

While intimate partner violence (IPV) is present in all cultures, socio-economic classes and races, the experiences of minority women have been routinely overlooked. Intimate partner violence impacts African American women at a rate higher than any other racial group of women. The Inventory of Beliefs of Wife Beating (IBWB) measures attitudes and beliefs about intimate partner violence. This study examined the responses of African American college students to a modified version (prompted to think specifically of African American relationships) of the IBWB through factor and parallel analyses. This study also examined the gender differences in responses on the IBWB. Additionally, the current study identified if the IBWB correlated with gender role attitudes through the use of the Traditional and Egalitarian Sex Role Scale (TESR). The sample for the investigation consisted of 164 participants. There were eight factors that were retained from the factor analysis and ultimately, four factors after the parallel analysis. The four factors were, IPV is justifiable , Women are responsible for IPV , IPV is beneficial in relationships , and Responsibility for causing and stopping IPV . Of these four factors, only the first three subscales were viable. There were significant differences in the responses of men and women to the IBWB subscales. The IBWB positively correlated with the TESR in that those that had a more egalitarian view did not support the use of IPV. The results indicate many similarities with the original version of the IBWB, and also differences, mainly through reshaping the subscales, specifically in the development of a new subscale (IPV is beneficial in relationships) and the elimination of four factors (Social advocacy, Offender is responsible, Offender should be punished, and Time in jail). The findings of the first three newly identified factors are most similar to the first two factors of the original scale