Develpment and validation of the global assessment of post-traumatic stress scale

Resumen

This research develops and validates a new scale in Spanish to assess post-traumatic stress in adults, called Global Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Scale (in Spanish, Escala Global de Estrés Postraumático –EGEP–). The EGEP was designed as a self-report measure aimed to assess posttraumatic symptoms, providing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis based on DSM-IV criteria and also symptoms severity scores. It includes all the PTSD diagnostic criteria, and other posttraumatic symptoms, such as negative cognition, dissociation or blame. EGEP was validated in a sample of 175 victims of diff erent traumatic events. Results showed that EGEP provides reliable and valid information: internal consistency (α = 0.92) and item analyses were satisfactory; confi rmatory factor analysis showed good fi t of model for the DMS-IV criteria; and diagnostic performance when compared with CIDI was adequate (sensitivity 91% and specificity 75%). All in all, the EGEP provides complete information for the assessment of trauma and PTSD in a brief self-report format that could be useful in clinical and research settings and that has been validated in Spanish populations.