TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION OF URDU VERSION OF BRIEF DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCE SCALE FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IN PAKISTAN

Objective Dissociation is a ubiquitous construct in psychology and is of high clinical relevance. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the Brief Dissociative Experience Scale (DES-B) in the Urdu language for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). DesignThis was a cross sectional study. Place and Duration of StudyThe study was conducted with a sample of 200 individuals with SUD aged 18 and above from drug rehabilitation centres across Pakistan between July to November 2023. MethodsThis study utilized a rigorous procedure of Mapi guidelines for translation and validation of DES-B. The validation of DES-B was determined through confirmatory factor analysis. ResultsThe data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software and factor structure, internal consistency, composite reliability, and convergent validity of the scale were determined. Of the 200 participants, 79.0% were male. The mean age of the participants was 30.61 years (SD = 8.87) with a range between 18 to 65. The findings indicated a good model fit for a one-factor structure with 8 items (χ²/df = 2.61, p < 0.00, RMSEA = 0.089, CFI = 0.908, GFI = 0.944). Moreover, the composite reliability (CR = .77), convergent validity (AVE = .31), and internal consistency (α =.76) showed favorable results. Overall, the Urdu version of DES-B demonstrated acceptable results in terms of the construct’s validity and reliability. ConclusionThe Urdu version of DES-B can be used as a reliable and valid tool to assess dissociative experiences in individuals with SUD suitable for research and clinical settings.