Psychometric Properties and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised (CHIES-R) for Child Survivors of Road Traffic Accidents in Hong Kong.

Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Participants and Methods: Sixty one children (aged 8 to 17 years) who attended the hospital accident and emergency service after road traffic accidents participated in the study. The Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Children's Depression Inventory, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale completed by the children 1 month after the road traffic accidents were studied. Results: A 3-factor structure accounting for 72% of the variance was identified for the 11-item Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The test-retest reliability was satisfactory; the moderate correlations between the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised scores (i.e. intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal), Children's Depression Inventory, and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale supported the validity of the Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised as a measure of post-traumatic stress in children. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis support generalisation of the post-traumatic stress disorder framework for the present sample of Chinese children. Conclusions: The 11-item Children's Impact of Event Scale-Revised has satisfactory psychometric properties as a screening instrument for stress responses after traumatic incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]