Objectives : The current study aimed to design and assess an inventory for the level of knowledge of and attitudes toward domestic violence against women. Method: This study was conducted in two stages. Initially we drafted an inventory based on experts opinion, then validated it based on comments from ten experts. We then piloted the inventory in a sample of 30 married women in Tehran, using Cronbach’s alpha to measure reliability. In the second stage of the study, the inventory was used in a sample of 615 married women from 22 districts in Tehran (15 samples in each cluster from 42 neighborhoods in the 22 districts in Tehran), and finally factor analysis was conducted to examine the statistical determinants in the inventory. Results: The mean (±SE) age and marriage duration in the sample were 42.6(±0.9) and 22(±0.8) years, respectively. 42.3 percent were educated at diploma level and 22.4% had higher levels of education. 82.4 percent were unemployed/housewives and 96.1% were in their first marriage. With respect to ‘knowledge’, five factors relating to violence were determined the overall mean score for ‘correct’ knowledge obtained by the study participants was 51%. Specifically, participants had the greatest knowledge about the consequences and preventability of violence, and the least amount firstly about its epidemiology and secondly about its consequences on offspring (in particular on female offspring). Reliability levels for the ‘knowledge’ and the ‘attitude’ sections of the inventory were 0.769 and 0.64, respectively. Conclusions: The developed inventory showed acceptable validity and reliability in Iranian women. Research on different aspects of knowledge about domestic violence, especially consequences on daughters, is required for appropriate interventions.
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