Validating the Economic Self-Efficacy Scale with Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Background & Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and financial hardship are often experienced hand-in-hand.  One of the ways IPV perpetrators abuse survivors economically is by limiting their confidence in their financial abilities.  Therefore, agencies serving IPV survivors should focus on building economic confidence as a way to help survivors move forward financially.  Based on Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, economic self-efficacy is one’s perceived confidence in her ability to manage her finances.  Measurement of this concept is important in that it will allow for a better understanding of how economic self-efficacy impacts the lives of IPV survivors and others experiencing economic hardship.  In order to test an adapted measure of economic self-efficacy, this paper evaluates the factor structure, reliability and validity of the Economic Self-Efficacy Scale (ESE Scale) among a sample of female IPV survivors.

Methods: This study is part of a longitudinal, experimental study evaluating the impact of an economic empowerment program on the lives of IPV survivors.  Participants were recruited from 14 domestic violence agencies in seven states and Puerto Rico using convenience sampling methods. This study uses data collected during pre-test survey administration.

Phase I of data analysis involved exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using an analytic sample of 447 participants. Phase II involved EFA and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using randomly split halves of the analytic sample (n=230 EFA; n=217 CFA).  Phase III evaluated the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to test for internal consistency.  Phase IV examined concurrent validity via correlation analyses with measures of economic self-sufficiency, financial strain, and difficulty living on income.

Results: Phase I EFA resulted in a one-factor solution including the ten original scale items (KMO = .906; χ² (45) = 859.940, p < .001), accounting for 49.12% of the total variance. Factor matrix loadings ranged from moderate to high (.577 to .747).

Phase II EFA resulted in the same one-factor, 10-item solution (KMO = .904, χ² (45) = 1778.95, p < .001), accounting for 47.79% of the total variance.  Factor matrix loadings ranged from moderate to high (.583 to .722).  Phase II CFA confirmed the uni-dimensional, 10-item factor structure (χ²=74.775, CFI=.954, GFI=.938, RMSEA=.079, TLI=.935). 

Phase III indicated a good level of internal consistency (α=0.88).

Phase IV indicated the ESE Scale was positively correlated with the three subscales of the Scale of Economic Self-Sufficiency, and was negatively correlated with the five subscales of the Financial Strain Survey and with difficulty living on income.  These correlations were statistically significant.

Implications: This study indicates that the ESE Scale is an appropriate tool for understanding economic self-efficacy among IPV survivors.  This study also demonstrates the importance of assessing economic self-efficacy as it correlates with other key economic concepts.  The findings suggest that economic self-efficacy has important implications for practitioners working with IPV survivors, as well as for research and evaluation concerning policy and programming aimed at improving micro-level economic outcomes.  Further research is needed to test the reliability and validity of the ESE Scale with diverse populations including different socio-economic and community samples.