THE CIVILIAN VERSION OF THE MISSISSIPPI PTSD SCALE - A PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION

This three-part study examined the reliability and validity of the civ ilian version of the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD using d ata from the nonveteran participants in the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. The Civilian Mississippi Scale had a raw score dis tribution that was roughly symmetric, with an acceptable degree of dis persion and a reasonably high internal consistency reliability coeffic ient. Overall, however, measurement precision was weaker than that for the military version of the instrument, and confirmatory factor analy tic findings differed from those found for the military version. Preli minary investigations of validity were in the form of correlations wit h indices of stressful life events, a PTSD symptom count, and measures of demoralization and active expression of hostility. The Civilian Mi ssissippi Scale emerged from the various analyses as a PTSD measure wi th potential but requiring further validational study and perhaps some refinement.