Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Readiness for Events With Psychological Emergencies Assessment Tool

Background: In the case of a disastrous event, stress and anxiety often result in psychological diseases such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Health care providers even suffer from such disaster-related disorders. Psychological complications can negatively influence their ability in providing care. Thus, this study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Persian version of Readiness for Events with Psychological Emergencies Assessment Tool (REPEAT).  Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was designed to validate the Persian version of REPEAT. Data were gathered from ۱۴۰ managers and staff members of select university hospitals in Tehran, Lorestan, and Semnan Provinces through convenient sampling. They were invited to complete REPEAT, which comprised ۷ dimensions and ۲۸ statements. Then, the qualitative content, construct validity, and reliability were determined. Results: In exploratory factor analysis, seven factors (including internal organizational structure and chain of command, resources and infrastructure, knowledge and skills, coordination with external organizations, risk assessment and monitoring, psychological support, and communication and information sharing) were extracted. The following eigenvalues were recorded for these seven factors: ۳.۵۹, ۳.۴۱, ۲.۷۸, ۲.۶۱, ۲.۹۴, ۲.۴۰, and ۱.۳۹, respectively. The results of Cronbach’s alpha showed that the internal consistency of the Persian version of REPEAT was ۰.۸۰۵. The intraclass correlation coefficient was found to be ۰.۸۰۹ (CI۹۵: ۰.۵۰۱-۰.۹۰۳, P<۰.۰۰۱).  Conclusion: The results of data analysis revealed that this instrument is highly reliable and valid and can be used as an appropriate tool to measure psychological preparedness of hospitals. However, further validation is needed.