Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
First Advisor
John Young
Second Advisor
Aaron Lee
Third Advisor
Stefan E. Schulenberg
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Trauma exposure among youth is a significant public health issue and is associated with psychiatric symptoms and impaired functioning. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, have become an increasingly salient source of traumatic exposures for youth. However, not all youth exposed to traumatic experiences go on to develop posttraumatic stress symptoms or other maladaptive reactions. Given the high need for psychological support and low resource context engendered by hurricanes, efficient and evidentiary tools for assessing risk are needed to effectively identify youth most in need of services. The present study will use a sample of 96,108 Puerto Rican youth (Grades: 3-12; Gender: 48.5% Male, 47.9% Female, 0.003% Unknown/Unreported) collected five to nine months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in order to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish translation of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index – Brief Form (RI-5-BF). Participants completed measures of hurricane exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Data analyses will examine the construct validity of the RI-5-BF by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis to examine the fit between the data and the four-factor DSM-5 model of PTSD. Additionally, the measure’s invariance by gender will be examined using multi-group factor analysis. The measure’s convergent validity will be assessed by examining correlations between the RI-5-BF and a limited depression measure. Finally, normative values for this population by grade and gender will be estimated by examining the descriptive statistics of participants' responses.
Recommended Citation
Rooney, Evan Edward, "Psychometric Properties of the Spanish UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5–Brief Form in Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2769.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2769