The development of the Chinese version of Impact of Event Scale - Revised (CIES-R)

Background This is an exploratory study on the psychometric properties and normative data of the Chinese translation of the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (CIES-R). Methods The original Impact of Event Scale - Revised was translated into Chinese and the comparability of content was verified through back-translation procedures. The study consisted of a sample of 116 patients from the Accident and Emergency Department. Results The reliability of the Chinese version was verified. The validity of the Chinese version as a measure of psychological distress was supported by the positive correlations between the various subscale scores of CIES-R (i. e., Intrusion, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal) and General Health Questionnaire-20. However, the independence of the three subscales was not supported. Conclusions The present result suggests that normative information for different age groups and clinical samples might be different. Further study with clinical sample and investigation of the relationship between CIES-R and other diagnostic measures of PTSD are discussed.