ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1638237
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Data Collection and Integration to Reduce Health Harms and Inequalities Linked to ViolenceView all 3 articles
Development and validation of the Decisional Balance Scale for Physical Activity in Female Survivors of Violence
Provisionally accepted
- Universite Cote d'Azur Laboratoire Motricite Humaine Expertise Sport Sante, Nice, France
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Introduction: Due to the trauma they have experienced, women who are survivors of violence struggle to engage in regular physical activity despite its numerous benefits. Identifying the factors that facilitate or hinder engagement in physical activity within this population is therefore essential. However, no valid tool currently exists specifically for this purpose. This study, based on the concept of decisional balance drawn from the transtheoretical model of behavior change, aimed to develop and validate the Decisional Balance Scale for Physical Activity in Female Survivors of Violence (DBSPA-FSV). Methods: 301 volunteers participated in three complementary steps which followed established validation procedures. In step 1, a preliminary version of the items was developed based on the existing literature. In step 2, the dimensionality and convergent validity of the scale were examined. In step 3, the reliability of the scale was tested. Results: In step 1, a preliminary version of 32 items was developed. The scale was refined to 22 items, grouped into two factors (facilitators and barriers) and six sub-dimensions (physical, psychological, and socio-environmental). In step 2, bi-factor confirmatory models with a global construct and six or two correlated factors demonstrated satisfactory fit indexes. Convergent validity was confirmed by significant correlations between DBSPA-FSV constructs and the concept of self-determined motivation in the expected directions. In step 3, the internal and test-retest reliability of the scale were confirmed. Discussion: The DBSPA-FSV scale exhibits satisfactory psychometric properties and will contribute to research on the engagement in physical activity of women survivors of violence.
Keywords: Psychometric validation, transtherotical model, behavior change, facilitators and barriers, Self-determinated motivation, Physical activity engagement, Women's Health
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 07 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Favola, d'Arripe-Longueville, Piroird, Hayotte and Mériaux-Scoffier. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Camille Favola, camille.favola@univ-cotedazur.fr
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