Validation of the Korean Version of Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R) in Korean Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nurses working amid the COVID-19 pandemic are at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study was conducted to verify the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R), one of the most used tools for assessing trauma. Secondary data of 249 nurses who performed face-to-face nursing tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic, collected through an online survey, were analyzed by conducting a factor analysis of the K-IES-R and testing the internal consistency and concurrent validity with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7), and Dimensions of Anger Reactions-5 (DAR-5). The result of an exploratory factor analysis of the K-IES-R supported a three-factor structure of intrusion, avoidance, and sleep disturbance, with CMIN/DF = 2.98, RMSEA = 0.09, SRMR = 0.03, CFI = 0.93, and TLI = 0.90. The Cronbach’s alpha of each subscale was 0.88–0.94. The total K-IES-R score and each factor’s value showed a significant correlation (moderate or higher) with the PSS, GAD-7, and DAR-5. The K-IES-R was verified as a useful tool for assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms in nurses who directly perform nursing tasks in crises such as COVID-19. This study suggests the tool be used for early assessment of post-traumatic stress symptoms in nurses and providing appropriate interventions.