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. 2012:3.
doi: 10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.19225. Epub 2012 Dec 6.

Validation of a French adaptation of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire among torture survivors from sub-Saharan African countries

Capucine de Fouchier  1 , Alain Blanchet, William Hopkins, Eric Bui, Malik Ait-Aoudia, Louis Jehel
Affiliations

Validation of a French adaptation of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire among torture survivors from sub-Saharan African countries

Capucine de Fouchier et al. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2012.

Abstract

Background: To date no validated instrument in the French language exists to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in survivors of torture and organized violence.

Objective: The aim of this study is to adapt and validate the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) to this population.

Method: The adapted version was administered to 52 French-speaking torture survivors, originally from sub-Saharan African countries, receiving psychological treatment in specialized treatment centers. A structured clinical interview for DSM was also conducted in order to assess if they met criteria for PTSD.

Results: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the HTQ Part 4 was adequate (0.95). Criterion validity was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis that generated good classification accuracy for PTSD (0.83). At the original cut-off score of 2.5, the HTQ demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity (0.87 and 0.73, respectively).

Conclusion: Results support the reliability and validity of the French version of the HTQ.

Keywords: Refugees; cross-cultural assessment; ethnic/cultural minorities; questionnaire; torture.

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