Evaluation of the Spanish Version of the Machismo Measure with Mexican Men Who Have a History of Domestic Violence

Abstract

Gender bias attitudes such as hypermasculinity and machismo have been connected to violence against women in general. The concept of machismo plays a unique role in these phenomena on the U.S.-Mexico border. The construct of machismo has been measured with men in the general population who identify as Hispanic but has not been measured with men who live in a Hispanic country and have committed acts of domestic violence. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Machismo measure among Mexican men who have a history of domestic violence and to explore the difference in scores based on demographic information. Confirmatory measurement models were used to evaluate the factor structure of the instrument and item characteristics. Findings from 210 participants demonstrated that the original model with 20 items was rejected and suggested to drop several items. Specific implications for counseling research and interventions are discussed.