Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Combat Exposure Scale

한국판 전투 노출 척도의 신뢰도와 타당도

  • Kim, Dong Su (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Chung, Hae Gyung (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Choi, Jin Hee (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • So, Hyung Seok (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Kim, Hae Jung (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Go, Chang Min (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Kim, Tae Yong (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center) ;
  • Chung, Moon Yong (Department of Neuropsychiatry, Veterans Health Service Medical Center)
  • 김동수 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 정혜경 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 최진희 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 소형석 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 김해정 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 고창민 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 김태용 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 정문용 (중앙보훈병원 정신건강의학과)
  • Received : 2012.08.24
  • Accepted : 2012.09.18
  • Published : 2012.10.30

Abstract

Objective : In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is essential to evaluate the severity of trauma with a reliable instrument. The combat exposure scale (CES) is one of the most widely used measures for the combat-related trauma. The present study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of CES (CES-K). Methods : One hundred and forty-five male Korean veterans of the Vietnam War participated in this study. CES-K, the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R (SCID), clinician administered PTSD scale (CAPS), and the Korean version life events checklist (LEC-K) were administered. Results : Cronbach's coefficient of CES-K was .85, and the test-retest reliability was .94. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] scores of CES-K were 20.4 (9.0) in the PTSD group and 12.0 (8.6) in the non-PTSD group (p<.001). CES-K showed a significant correlation with LEC-K (r=.31, p<.001) and CAPS (r=.52, p<.001). Only one factor was revealed by the factor analysis. Conclusion : CES-K showed good reliability and validity for assessing the severity of combat exposure. Further, it demonstrated comparable psychometric properties to the previous study. It is expected that CES-K will be a useful tool for evaluating the severity of combat exposure in Korea.

Keywords

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