This project first reports on the measures used in Phase I of the evaluation of the “Moving Ahead Through Financial Management,” curriculum, which instructs women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in financial management procedures, followed by reporting on Phase II of the evaluation, which validated the scales related to the financial experiences of women IPV survivors with a new sample of both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking survivors.
Phase I of the curriculum’s evaluation found that survivors in the experimental group, who received curriculum instruction, had significantly higher scores compared with the control group, who did not receive instruction, on financial attitudes, financial literacy, economic self-efficacy, financial intentions, and financial behaviors. These changes were statistically significant over time. Phase II re-analyzed the data from Phase I by separately examining Spanish-speaking and English-speaking samples of survivors, with the financial scales revised and finalized in English and Spanish. The purpose of each of the nine evaluation scales is stated in the current report. During Phase II, 425 women were recruited from seven agencies in New York, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico. In-person individual interviews were conducted with each woman, using a questionnaire with the nine financial and abuse scales. The final analytical sample consisted of 417 women, with 209 completing the questionnaire in English and 208 completing the questionnaire in Spanish. The average age of participants was 40 years old. Almost 90 percent were not currently in an abusive relationship. Phase II results indicate that the following four of the nine scales are appropriate for use with both English and Spanish-speaking survivors of IPV: Economic Self-Sufficiency Scale, Financial-Management Scale, Financial Behavior Scale, and Financial Intentions Scale. Although the other five scales did not bias results, several items did not meet measurement equivalence across English-speaking and Spanish-speaking survivors. Recommendations are offered. 48 tables, 2 figures, 87 references, and appended nine scales in English and Spanish