Human Rights Engagement in Social Work: Validating an Eight-Item Spanish-Language Scale

Abstract

Purpose: to examine the validation of the Spanish version of the Human Rights Engagement in Social Work (CDHTS-25) Scale, and to develop an abbreviated version (CDHTS-8) that may be useful in research situations in which social work practitioners have little time due to work and bureaucratic overload and to include in large surveys or longitudinal designs. Method: An online survey was used to collect data from a sample of 481 licensed Spanish social workers from different intervention areas. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses support the validity of the CDHTS-25, with adequate fit indexes and reliability. The validation of the CDHTS-8 exhibited internal consistency, good test–retest reliability, and the scale was significantly related to measures of social justice and human values. Discussion: The CDHTS-25 and the CDHTS-8 have direct applicability to social work practice and allows to measure the level of engagement with human rights in social workers.