Validation of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire self-report version in two samples of French-speaking individuals exposed to trauma.
OBJECTIVE
Peritraumatic dissociation is a risk factor for developing PTSD. The Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) is a self-report inventory used to assess dissociation that occurred at the time of a trauma. The aim of this study was the validation the PDEQ in French.


METHODS
Ninety French speaking traumatized victims presenting to the emergency department were recruited. They were administered the PDEQ shortly after exposure and others trauma-related measures 2 weeks and 1 month posttrauma.


RESULTS
Principal components factor analyses suggested a single factor solution for the PDEQ. Significant correlations between the PDEQ and acute and posttraumatic stress symptoms indicated moderate to strong convergent validity. The PDEQ also showed satisfactory test-retest reliability and internal consistency.


CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first one to investigate such detailed psychometric findings on the PDEQ. This confirms the unity of the concept of peritraumatic dissociation and the value of the PDEQ-French Version to assess it.
Birmes
Philippe
P
Department of Psychiatry and Douglas Hospital Research Center, Psychosocial Research Division, McGill University, Montreal, Que. Canada. birmes.p@chu-toulouse.fr
Brunet
Alain
A
Benoit
Maryse
M
Defer
Sabine
S
Hatton
Leah
L
Sztulman
Henri
H
Schmitt
Laurent
L
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology; D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires