Development of a context-specific trauma scale among a Palestinian adult population living amidst military violence

Abstract

The current study aimed to develop a context-specific trauma scale in the Palestinian context. The sample of our study consisted of 490 Palestinian adults – 230 males and 260 females. Our scale ended up with 32 items to measure traumatic symptoms in the Palestinian context. Results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a stable construct of a five-factor structure of the Palestinian specific-context trauma: (1) re-experiencing trauma, (2) avoidance and numbing, (3) hyperarousal, (4) somatic symptoms and (5) psychological symptoms. Reliability of the scale was further established by assessing the test–retest and internal consistency of all subscales. Convergent validity for the context-specific trauma scale was conducted by testing the association between the scale and two existing measures – the WHOQOL-BREF and the Impact of the Event Scale (IES-R). We recommend using our scale in empirical studies incorporating spoken or written disclosure about traumatic experiences. The scale should also be considered when working with clinical and non-clinical groups who have experienced politics-related trauma.