Testing the factor structure and measurement invariance of the conflict in adolescent dating relationship inventory

Intimate-partner violence (IPV) in adolescent and young-adult dating relationships is a prevalent and serious public health problem. The measurement of IPV across adolescence has most commonly relied on the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory (CADRI; Wolfe et al., 2001), which postulates 5 distinct yet related types of IPV (i.e., threatening, verbal/emotional, relational, physical, and sexual). However, the CADRI has received minimal examination to confirm its factor structure, in particular, whether the factor structure is invariant across sex, race/ethnicity, and time, despite the clinical use of this measure for screening and treatment purposes. In response, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the CADRI and tested whether the factor structure was invariant across sex, race/ethnicity, and time. Adolescents (N 1,042, 56% girls, mean age at baseline 15.09, SD 0.79) from high schools in the southwestern United States completed the CADRI annually for 6 consecutive years. Results confirmed the 5-factor structure of the CADRI and demonstrated measurement invariance across sex, race/ethnicity, and time. Our findings suggest that the CADRI captures 5 related but distinct types of IPV and that use of the CADRI is appropriate across sex, race/ethnicity, and time.