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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 2/2019

01-04-2019 | Original Paper

Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Loss Scale with Refugee Women-at-Risk Recently Arrived in Australia

Authors: Lyn Vromans, Robert D. Schweitzer, Mark Brough, Ignacio Correa-Velez, Kate Murray, Caroline Lenette

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 2/2019

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Abstract

Refugee women-at-risk represent a distinct and vulnerable refugee population. We investigated the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Loss Scale (MLS) with 104 women-at-risk, recently-arrived in Australia. Cross-sectional survey included: the MLS (indexing loss events and loss distress); Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Indexing Trauma Events and Trauma Symptoms), and; Hopkins Symptom Checklist-37 (indexing anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms). Exploratory factor analyses of MLS loss distress revealed a six-factor model (loss of symbolic self; loss of home; loss of interdependence; loss of past aspirations; interpersonal loss, and; loss of intrapersonal integrity). Cronbach alphas indicated satisfactory internal consistency for loss events (0.83) and distress (0.88). Correlations supported convergent validity of loss distress with trauma symptoms (r = 0.41) and divergent validity with anxiety (r = 0.09), Depression (r = 0.29), and somatic (r = 0.24) symptoms. Findings support MLS use in assessment of loss and associated distress with refugee women-at-risk.
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Metadata
Title
Psychometric Properties of the Multidimensional Loss Scale with Refugee Women-at-Risk Recently Arrived in Australia
Authors
Lyn Vromans
Robert D. Schweitzer
Mark Brough
Ignacio Correa-Velez
Kate Murray
Caroline Lenette
Publication date
01-04-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 2/2019
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0750-5

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