PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER REACTION INDEX IN PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY
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Date
2025-03-01
Authors
Mahamid, Mamoun
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Publisher
An-Najah National University
Abstract
Introduction: The Palestinian community, especially its children, faces severe psychological challenges due to ongoing conflict with the Israeli military. Constant exposure to violence and trauma has significantly increased the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Palestinian children. However, assessing PTSD in this population remains challenging due to the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate diagnostic tools. The UCLA Reaction Index, a widely used instrument for measuring PTSD, has yet to be validated in Arabic. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the psychometric properties of the Arabic translation of the UCLA Reaction Index for Children and Adolescents.
Methods: The study involved a sample of 66 minors residing in regions of high conflict, who were assessed using the Arabic version of the UCLA Reaction Index for Children and Adolescents, alongside the National PTSD Scale Questionnaire and the Checklist of Chronic Traumatic Experience (CTE). The translation of the UCLA Reaction Index followed a stringent process of linguistic validation and cognitive debriefing to ensure cultural and contextual accuracy. Results: The findings revealed excellent internal consistency and strong criterion validity. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a robust alignment between the UCLA Reaction Index and the National PTSD Scale, although a lack of fit was observed with the CTE.
Discussions and Future Recommendation: The validation of the Arabic version of the UCLA Reaction Index demonstrates its reliability and validity as a tool for both academic research and clinical application, particularly in assessing PTSD among children in the West Bank. These findings highlight the instrument's potential utility in trauma-related studies within this population. Future research should focus on evaluating the scale’s applicability in larger, more diverse samples, and exploring potential variations in PTSD presentation between children from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to provide a more comprehensive understanding of trauma exposure across different regions.