ADAPTING THE GLOBAL MEANING VIOLATION SCALE FOR USE WITH ARABIC-SPEAKING REFUGEES

Refugees are survivors of extreme, cumulative potentially-traumatic events (PTEs), which can violate their goals, beliefs and sense of purpose (i.e. global meaning) and cause significant psychological distress. Despite being disproportionately affected by PTEs, there are few psychological instruments available in refugees’ native languages, and which consider their cultural and traumatic diversity. Our aim is to describe the process of cross-cultural adaption of the Global Meaning Violation Scale (GMVS) for use with Arabic-speaking refugees in resettlement. Methods: Following the ITC Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Tests, we engaged the assistance of psychometry, language, cultural and content experts to translate and adapt the GMVS to Arabic. Results: Experts based in Portugal, Jordan, US and Germany participated in the translation and adaptation process. The scale was considered straightforward and overall cohesive and, by addressing feelings rather than mental health issues, culturallyappropriate. Potential problems related to the complexity of the construct, cultural appropriateness of the “Intimacy (emotional closeness)” item, and use of a Likert Scale. Discussion: The overall process of translating and adapting the GMVS to Arabic was lengthy and resource-intensive. Researchers should carefully consider availability of resources when planning research with culturally diverse populations.