The Impact of Event Scale: Validation of an Italian version

• Published in: Journal of psychosomatic research Vol. 55; no. 4; pp. 389 - 393
• Main Authors: Pietrantonio, Filomena, De Gennaro, Luigi, Di Paolo, Maria Cristina, Solano, Luigi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.10.2003; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - psychology; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Diagnosis, Differential; Emotional distress; Female; Humans; IES; Impact of Event Scale; Italian version; Italy; Male; Medical sciences; Mental and physical diseases; Middle Aged; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Road accidents; Sensitivity and Specificity; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Survivors; Techniques and methods; Trauma; Validation; Italy; Trauma; IES; Stress; Mental and physical diseases; Human; Italian; Foreign language version; Factor analysis; Posttraumatic syndrome; Questionnaire; Self evaluation; Survivor; Anxiety disorder; Prediction; Traffic accident; Psychometrics; Emotion emotionality; Test reliability; Test validation; Symptomatology; Impact of Event Scale; Principal component analysis
• ISSN: 0022-3999; 1879-1360
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00638-4

Objective: To validate an Italian version of the Impact of Event Scale (IES) in patients addressing the emotional impact of a recent road accident. Methods: Seventy-nine subjects were examined within 1–34 weeks after an accident by means of (1) an Italian version of the IES, (2) a free description of the accident, and (3) a questionnaire assessing subjects' behaviour and feelings. Results: IES data were analysed by means of the principal component analysis (PCA) method, followed by a quartimax rotation, obtaining a two-factor solution interpreted as intrusion (Factor 1) and avoidance (Factor 2). Furthermore, the scores to the two subscales were considered in order to assess their predictive value on some variables linked to the traumatic event. Intrusion significantly discriminated the emotional intensity and fear level of subjects as a consequence of the accident. Conclusions: The IES is a two-dimensional test capable of evaluating posttraumatic stress. The intrusion and avoidance factors explained 40% of the total variance. The two-factor solution has a psychological counterpart and is similar to the findings of earlier studies conducted on a larger number of subjects in other countries.