ABSTRACT 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.