title: Development of exposure to combat severity scale of the combat experiences questionnaire (CEQ).
abstract: Combat exposure is detrimental to physical and mental health, and is an important risk factor for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The current study aimed to develop the first section of a self-report measure (Combat Experiences Questionnaire - CEQ), and to explore its psychometric properties on Portuguese Overseas War Veterans. The Exposure to Combat Severity Scale (CEQ A), assesses the exposure severity to objective scenarios related to military combat, common to contemporary and older theaters of operations. Studies included structural analysis through Rash Model, internal consistency, convergent validity (n=708), temporal reliability (n=112) and sensibility to differentiate war Veterans with and without war-related PTSD (N=40 and N=47, respectively). The scale's structure presented adequate fit to the data, adequate psychometric properties, and discriminant validity. Thus, the CEQ A is a valid and reliable tool presenting diverse combat scenarios to assess severity of combat exposure in war Veterans.
authors.affiliation: CINEICC - Cognitive-Behavioral Research Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: teresacarvalho.psi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: CINEICC - Cognitive-Behavioral Research Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinto-Gouveia
authors.affiliation: CINEICC - Cognitive-Behavioral Research Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: CINEICC - Cognitive-Behavioral Research Centre, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Division of Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Azores, Azores, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: da Motta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057189:Checklist; D018595:Colonialism; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011174:Portugal; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014857:Warfare
keywords: CEQ; Exposure to Combat Severity Scale (CEQ A); Military combat; Portuguese Overseas War Veterans; Psychometric properties