Psychometric properties of the Structural Violence Beliefs Scale for Youth

Abstract

Structural violence occurs by means of social stratification, injustice, political or economic inequity, race, gender, or other conditions. It creates different opportunities and decreases the possibility of covering basic needs. To validate the Structural Violence Beliefs Scale for Youth (SVBS-Y). The scale was developed following a sequential design, starting with content validation by judges, followed by Exploratory and Confirmatory Factorial Analyses (CFA). Finally, we sought to obtain criterion validity evidence with the “Attitudes Toward the Poor Scale”. The sample consisted of 852 students (445 females and 407 male), with an average age of 16.44 (SD = 1.92) years. The CFA confirmed three dimensions: (a) Inequity and prejudice towards people with fewer resources, (b) Interest in equal opportunities, and (c) Ruling class privilege. A rho=.64 indicated an adequate criterion (concurrent) validity. This study provides evidence that the SVBS-Y is a reliable and valid instrument in Mexican youth.

Keywords

• human security
• assessment
• poverty
• inequality
• prejudice
• social stratification