Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Refugees: Assessments with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25 in Different Languages

Abstract

The original versions of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 were written and subsequently validated in the Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese languages. For use in a Dutch treatment center, with refugee patients mostly speaking other languages, additional translations were made. The objective of this study was examination of the psychometric properties of some of these new translations, i.e., the Arabic, Farsi, Serbo-Croatian, Russian, and English bilingual adaptations. It is concluded that the psychometric properties of both tests are adequate across those different cultures and are, in general, applicable to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The enduring mental health impact of mass violence: A community comparison study of Cambodian civilians living in Cambodia and Thailand

“…The HSCL-25 includes a 15-item scale of depressive symptoms and the HTQ contains a 16-item scale of diagnostic criteria for PTSD as defined in the DSM-IV (APA, 1994). Both instruments have been widely translated and used in general studies among diverse cultural groups (Cardozo, Vergara, Agani & Gotway, 2000;Kagee, 2005;Mollica et al, 1999;Shrestha et al, 1998), including Cambodian populations (Dubois et al, 2004;Mollica et al, 1993), and have demonstrated high internal consistency and reliability across a range of population groups (Kleijn, Hovens & Rodenburg, 2001). Palmieri, Marshall and Schnell (2007) have conducted a confirmatory factor analysis study of the HTQ administrated in Khmer to resettled Cambodian refugees in a community study that demonstrated results similar to those found for English speakers completing other measures of PTSD symptom severity.…”

Mental Health Problems Among Adults in Tsunami-Affected Areas in Southern Thailand

“…22 The HTQ has demonstrated high internal consistency and reliability in studies of Bosnian-and Croatianspeaking individuals and in Cambodian refugee populations. [20][21][22][23] The HSCL-25, a screening tool to detect symptoms of anxiety and depression, comprises a 10-item subscale for anxiety and a 15-item subscale for depression. Mean cumulative symptom scores higher than 1.75 indicated the presence of anxiety and depression and have been found to be valid in predicting clinical diagnoses of these disorders.…”

The assessment of psychopathology among traumatized refugees: measurement invariance of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 across five linguistic groups

“…In addition, both instruments were translated into the most common languages spoken by refugees referred for treatment at Foundation Centrum ’45 (Arabic, Farsi, Serbo-Croatian, and Russian). Translations were carried out by certified translators or by bilingual staff members of Centrum ’45 and were reviewed by other certified translators (see Kleijn, Hovens, & Rodenburg, 2001). For the majority of individuals in each linguistic group, previously translated questionnaires could be used.…”