French Validation of Two Questionnaires Measuring Posttraumatic Cognitions After Sexual Assault

Abstract

ABSTRACT People who have been sexually assaulted are at risk of developing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including negative posttraumatic cognitions such as self-blame. Although targeting maladaptive cognitions is an important part of cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD, no validated questionnaire targeting posttraumatic cognitions after a sexual assault is available in French. The aim of this study was to translate the Posttraumatic Maladaptive Beliefs Scale (PMBS) and the Rape Attribution Questionnaire (RAQ) in French, adapt the content of the latter to make it more inclusive of all genders and widen the representation of sexual assault contexts, and document their psychometric qualities in the general population who self-reported having experienced a sexual assault. Participants were 439 adults recruited via e-mails to the members of the Laval University community and postings on social media. They completed online sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires, including the PMBS, the RAQ and four questionnaires targeting PTSD symptom severity, posttraumatic cognitions, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The PMBS and the RAQ were completed a second time one week later. The French versions of the questionnaires showed good convergent and divergent validity, internal consistency (PMBS: α between .740 and .868; RAQ: .806 and .901) and test-retest reliability (r between .785 and .833 for the PMBS, .776 and .840 for the RAQ). The French versions of the PMBS and the RAQ are useful instruments to assess posttraumatic cognitions and can be used in clinical and research settings to improve the treatment of PTSD in people who have been sexually assaulted.