Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the International Trauma Questionnaire for use in Brazilian Portuguese.

BACKGROUND

The most recent editions of diagnostic manuals have proposed important modifications in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria. The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is the gold-standard measurement for assessing PTSD and complex PTSD in accordance with the model of the 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to adapt the ITQ for the Brazilian context.

DESIGN AND SETTING

The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the ITQ for use in Brazilian Portuguese was performed in trauma research facilities in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

METHODS

The adaptation followed five steps: (1) translation; (2) committee synthesis; (3) experts' evaluation through the content validity index (CVI) and assessment of interrater agreement though kappa statistics; (4) comprehension test with clinical and community samples (n = 35); and (5) final back-translation and authors' evaluation.

RESULTS

Two independent translations were conducted. While working on a synthesis of these translations, the committee proposed changes in six items to adapt idiomatic expressions or to achieve a more accurate technical fit. Both the expert judges' evaluation (CVI > 0.7; k > 0.55) and the pretest in the target population (mean comprehension > 3) indicated that the adapted items were adequate and comprehensible. The final back-translation was approved by the authors of the original instrument.

CONCLUSION

ITQ in its Brazilian Portuguese version achieved satisfactory content validity, thus providing a tool for Brazilian research based on PTSD models of the ICD-11.