Validation of the Impact of Event Scale With Modifications for COVID-19 (IES-COVID19)

Abstract

Viral outbreaks can be experienced as disruptive and can be associated with traumarelated stress symptoms. In the current study, we adjusted the Dutch version of the Impact of Event Scale (IES) to assess traumatic stress symptoms related to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The psychometric properties of this Impact of Event Scale with modifications for COVID-19 (IES-COVID19) were investigated by administering the IES-COVID19 to 380 university students who participated during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, upon invitation via e-mail. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure of the IES-COVID19 was found to be similar to the original IES, indicating two latent factors: intrusion and avoidance, c 2 (85) = 147.51, CFI = .92, TLI = .90, RMSEA = .044, SRMR = .049. Cronbach's alpha showed acceptable internal consistency of the total IES-COVID19, a = .75. Pearson's correlations of the IES-COVID19 over time were also sufficient, demonstrating adequate test-retest reliability, r = .62. Significant correlations (ranging between .15 and .50) between the IES-COVID19 and symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, stress-related rumination, as well as negative social interactions, demonstrate adequate convergent validity. Overall, the IES-COVID19 shows to be a valid and reliable measure that can be utilized to investigate traumarelated stress symptoms of intrusion and avoidance related to the short-and long-term impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Trends in Moral Injury, Distress, and Resilience Factors among Healthcare Workers at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Our findings’ importance lies in whether the reported scores can predict development of a mental health disorder such as PTSD. Several authors have proposed threshold scores for the IES-R that correlate with clinical diagnosis of PTSD, ranging from 27 to 33 [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. IES-R scores in our population, even in the entire cohort (23.44 ± 13.80, n = 219) sampled at baseline in late March 2020, did not reach this level [ 18 ].…”

“…Additionally, we used the IES-R. This tool has demonstrated validity for use in COVID-19 and has been used to survey healthcare workers and the general population during COVID-19 around the world [ 24 , 30 , 37 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Thus, we believe we assessed an outcome that is important to stakeholders globally.…”

COVID-19 pandemic-related anxiety, distress and burnout: prevalence and associated factors in healthcare workers of North-West Italy

“…The Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) 18 , 19 is a self-report scale widely used to measure current subjective distress related to a specific stressful life event, including outbreaks. 20 It consists of 22 items on a 5-point Likert scale (from 0, ‘not at all’, to 4, ‘extremely’), with respect to how distressing each item has been during the past week. The IES-R assesses symptoms of avoidance, intrusion and hyperarousal.…”

Family Physicians’ Standpoint and Mental Health Assessment in the Light of COVID-19 Pandemic—A Nationwide Survey Study

“…The Impact on Event Scale with Modifications for COVID-19 (IES-COVID19) was used to determine levels of trauma-related stress symptoms [ 30 ]. This is a self-reported scale based on the Impact on Event Scale (IES)—a well-established, validated tool for the assessment of subjective distress reactions after various traumatic events [ 30 ].…”

“…The Impact on Event Scale with Modifications for COVID-19 (IES-COVID19) was used to determine levels of trauma-related stress symptoms [ 30 ]. This is a self-reported scale based on the Impact on Event Scale (IES)—a well-established, validated tool for the assessment of subjective distress reactions after various traumatic events [ 30 ]. It correlates well with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, though it should be used with caution, and not as a definitive tool for PTSD diagnosis [ 30 , 31 ].…”