J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2015 Feb;54(1):97-104. 10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.1.97.

A Study on Reliability and Validity of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised-North Korea (IES-R-NK)

• Won SD
• Lee SH
• Hong JP
• Jun JY
• Han JM
• Shin MN
• Ahn MH
• Lee T

• KMID: 2344004
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2015.54.1.97

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was conducted to translate the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) into North Korean language and confirm its reliability and validity.
METHODS
A total of 207 North Korean defectors recruited from the Call Center for North Korean Defectors participated in this study. Psychiatrists and psychiatric residents interviewed the participants individually and made psychiatric diagnosis. Subsequently, they completed the Brief Psychological State Inventory for North Korean Refugees (BPSI-NKR), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-North Korea (CES-D-NK), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-North Korea (AUDIT-NK) as well as the Impact of Event Scale-Revised-North Korea (IES-R-NK). Of the original participants, 143 subjects participated in test-retest reliability study after one week.
RESULTS
The internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha was superior in both male and female from North Korea. In addition, the temporal stability was also satisfactory. A good convergent validity was clearly shown by significant correlations with BPSI-PTSD and CES-D-NK, respectively. On the other hand, IES-R-NK had no or weak correlations with AUDIT-NK and BPSI-NKR-alcohol, demonstrating its satisfactory discriminant validity.
CONCLUSION
IES-R-NK might be considered as a short and valid screening tool for identification of PTSD symptoms in North Korean defectors.

Keyword

PTSD; IES-R; North korean defectors; Reliability; Validity

MeSH Terms

Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Depression
Epidemiologic Studies
Female
Hand
Humans
Korea
Male
Mass Screening
Mental Disorders
Psychiatry
Refugees
Reproducibility of Results*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

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