Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Composite Abuse Scale into Brazilian Portuguese

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To perform the translation and cross-cultural adaptation from English into Brazilian Portuguese of the Composite Abuse Scale, an instrument that identifies and quantifies intimate partner violence. METHODS This study is based on the strict implementation of its previously published protocol, which consists of ten steps: (a) conceptual analysis; (b) double-blind translation; (c) comparison and first reconciled version of the two translations; (d) back-translation; (e) review of the back-translation by the developer and second reconciled version; (f) expert committee review (n = 6); (g) comparison of expert reviews and third reconciled version; (h) cognitive interviews with women from the Casa da Mulher Brasileira in Curitiba (n = 15); (i) assessments of user perceptions and final reconciliation; and (j) submission of the final version of the questionnaire to the developer. RESULTS The implementation of the 10 steps of the protocol allowed the idiomatic, semantic, conceptual and experiential equivalences of the Composite Abuse Scale, incorporating suggestions and criticisms from the different participants of the process. Participants included the developer, professional translators, researchers specialized on the subject, women in situation of intimate partner violence, and professionals who provide care to them. Experts and cognitive interviews with women were instrumental in ensuring equivalence, and facilitating the understanding, including: (1) adaptation of the term “intimate relation” to “affective or conjugal relation”; (2) substitution of enclisis for proclisis cases in 20 items; (3) adoption of gender-neutral language, allowing its use in heterosexual, bisexual, and same-sex relations; (4) materialization of an instrument of scientific rigor and self-applicable, which may help women to visualize the situations of abuse in their relations. CONCLUSIONS The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process of the Composite Abuse Scale resulted in the Composite Abuse Scale Brazilian Portuguese Version, a 30-item self-applicable instrument, capable to identify and quantify intimate partner violence, its frequency, severity and typologies (physical, emotional, harassment and severe combined violence)