P01-176 - Validation of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire and Peritraumatic Distress Inventory in School-aged Victims of Road Traffic Accidents

Abstract

Objectives

Although the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) and Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) are both useful for identifying adults at risk of developing acute and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they have not been validated in school-aged children. The present study aims at assessing the psychometric properties of the PDI and PDEQ in a sample of French-speaking school children.

Methods

One-hundred and thirty-three school-aged victims of road traffic accidents were consecutively enrolled into this study via the emergency room. Mean(SD) age was 11.7(2.2) and 56.4% (n=75) of them were of male gender. The 13-item self-report PDI (range 0-52) and the 10-item self report PDEQ (range 10-50) were assessed within one week of the accident. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed 1 and 6 months later using the 20-item self-report Child Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS-RI) (range 0-80).

Results

Mean(SD) PDI and PDEQ scores were 19.1(10.1) and 21.1(7.6), respectively, while mean(SD) CPTS-RI scores at 1- and 6-months were 22.6(12.4) and 20.6(13.5), respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.8 and 0.77 for the PDI and PDEQ, respectively. The 1-month test-retest correlation coefficient (n=33) was 0.77 for both measures. The PDI demonstrated a 2-factor structure while the PDEQ displayed a 1-factor structure. As with adults, the two measures were inter-correlated (r=0.52) and correlated with subsequent PTSD symptoms (r=0.21−0.56; p< 0.05).

Conclusions

The PDI and PDEQ are reliable and valid in school-aged children, and predict PTSD symptoms.