title: Dimensionality and reliability of the Civilian Mississippi Scale for PTSD in a postearthquake community.
abstract: This study examines psychometric properties of the Civilian Mississippi Scale for posttraumatic stress disorder when administered in a community survey of 656 persons following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Internal consistency was lower (Cronbach's alpha = .73) than for previous analyses of civilian and combat versions of the Mississippi Scale. The analysis produced one strong factor composed of 25 items with regular wording and a second, weaker factor composed of 10 items with reversed wording. Internal consistency was higher when the 10 reversed items were removed (Cronbach's alpha = .86); the two factors were negatively correlated. Traumatic experiences and psychological distress measures explained more variance in the 25-item factor than in the 35-item scale. Further studies should focus on content analysis and performance of the reversed items.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inkelas
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Loux
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Bourque
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Widawski
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012495:San Francisco; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology