THE CIVILIAN WAR-RELATED CHRONIC STRESS SCALE (CWCS-S): FROM PCL-C ADAPTATION TO A NEW DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

Abstract

The article presents the process of adapting the PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version (PCL-C) and its transformation into a new diagnostic tool – the Civilian War-related Chronic Stress Scale (CWCS-S). A three-factor structure of the method was identified, reflecting the main aspects of civilians’ psychological response to prolonged war threat: traumatic reactivity (intrusive memories, hypervigilance, increased reactivity to triggers), emotional isolation (detachment from others, emotional numbing, loss of interest in usual activities), and cognitive avoidance (avoidance of thoughts, conversations, and situations related to war). The study was conducted in several stages: (1) initial adaptation of PCL-C considering the specifics of civilians’ war experience (focus groups, expert evaluations); (2) pilot study with 58 respondents; (3) main study with 788 participants (365 residents of frontline territories, 212 internally displaced persons, 211 residents of relatively safe regions). Factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure of the method (total explained variance 67.3%). Internal consistency of factors (Cronbach’s α) was 0.89, 0.85, and 0.83 respectively. Convergent validity was confirmed by correlations with the Mississippi Scale (r = 0.69), Impact of Event Scale (r = 0.65), and HADS (r = 0.62-0.64). Test-retest reliability (n = 124, 3-week interval) for the total score was r = 0.82, for factors r = 0.79-0.84. CWCS-S demonstrates good psychometric properties and can be used to assess the psychological state of civilians under conditions of prolonged war. Unlike classical PTSD assessment tools, the scale takes into account the specifics of chronic stress state arising from constant war threat and allows differentiation of various aspects of psychological adaptation to prolonged military conflict.