Psychometric Properties of the Syrian Arabic Version of the Impact of Event Scale–Revised in the Context of the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Abstract

The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) is a widely used self-report questionnaire used to assess symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the IES-R has been translated and validated in multiple languages, no previous version has employed the Arabic dialect commonly spoken in Syria. The present work aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a Syrian Arabic version of the IES-R. Syrian citizens (N = 288) living in refugee camps in Turkey were administered the Syrian Arabic IES-R as part of a humanitarian aid project focused on providing psychological assistance. The data were analyzed with respect to 10 previously published factor solutions. We found that the best-fitting model was a four-factor structure that included factors involving Avoidance-Numbing, Intrusion, Hyperarousal, and Sleep Disturbance. The model showed strong measurement invariance between male and female subsamples, allowing for meaningful comparisons of the factor means. Overall, the present findings support the validity of a new version of the IES-R, which can be used by both researchers and clinicians responding to the urgent need for psychological care for Syrian refugees fleeing war-related violence.