Validation of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire self-report version in two samples of French-speaking individuals exposed to trauma

Abstract

Objective: Peritraumatic dissociation is a risk factor for developing PTSD. The Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) is a self-report inventory used to assess dissociation that occurred at the time of a trauma. The aim of this study was the validation the PDEQ in French.

Method: Ninety French speaking traumatized victims presenting to the emergency department were recruited. They were administered the PDEQ shortly after exposure and others trauma-related measures 2 weeks and 1 month posttrauma.

Results: Principal components factor analyses suggested a single factor solution for the PDEQ. Significant correlations between the PDEQ and acute and posttraumatic stress symptoms indicated moderate to strong convergent validity. The PDEQ also showed satisfactory test-retest reliability and internal consistency.

Conclusion: This study is the first one to investigate such detailed psychometric findings on the PDEQ. This confirms the unity of the concept of peritraumatic dissociation and the value of the PDEQ-French Version to assess it.