title: Validation of Impact of Events Scale in nurses under threat of contagion by severe acute respiratory syndrome.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to validate the Impact of Events Scale (IES) in a sample of nurses working under threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The internal consistency, construct validity and convergent validity of the instrument were examined in a sample of 128 nurses during the SARS outbreak in Taiwan. Principal component analysis followed by a quartimax rotation were used to derive a two-factor solution, labeled intrusion (factor 1) and avoidance (factor 2), with both factors accounting for 50.7% of the explained variance. The total Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 reflected the good internal consistency of the instrument. Correlation with the Symptoms Checklist 90-R demonstrated the convergent validity of the IES. In conclusion, the IES can be used as a convenient, reliable and valid instrument for evaluation of the psychological distress of nurses working with the highly contagious disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100 Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 807.
authors.forename: Cheng-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Pinchen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Hsiu-Yueh
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan