Mesure subjective de l'impact d'un évènement : Traduction française et validation de l'échelle d’Horowitz

In this paper, the authors translated, back translated and validated the Horowitz scale. The scale was completed by 20 PTSD and 34 normal subjects. The results showed a significant difference between the two groups on total scores (51.25 for PTSD and 13.6 for normal subjects, t = 183.1, p < 0.001). On intrusive scale the mean for PTSD was 25.95, while the mean for the control subjects was 7.6 (t = 135.6, p < 0.001). PTSD mean on the avoidance scale was 25.3, while control mean was 5.9 (t = 114.5, p < 0.001). No differences were found for gender. On total score, the sensitivity of the scale was 95% of sensitivity and its specificity 100%, with a cutoff score of 42. In conclusion, this scale seems particularly relevant in clinical and forensic fields to evaluate the impact of traumatic events, as well as symptomatic remission.