Multi-Item Scale:
Item Text:
Feeling emotionally numb (for example, feeling sad but not being able to cry, not being able to feel loving feelings) (12) [Mich emotional taub gefühlt (zum Beispiel traurig fühlen, aber nicht weinen können, keine liebevollen Gefühle empfinden können) (12)]
Different Answer Format Tested:
Nein
Findings:
What do the test persons mean by feeling "emotionally numb"?
Two test persons from Afghanistan did not receive this item because it had been accidentally replaced by another item in the Dari translation. The interpreter read the item to be tested orally to the other four test persons and asked the test persons to answer using the answer scale. All Arabic-speaking test persons received the item.
Two Arabic-speaking test persons spontaneously expressed problems understanding the question (SY05, IR05). One of them asked about the meaning of "numb" in this context (SY05) but seemed to understand the explanation in the brackets behind it. The other found feeling sad but not being able to cry contradictory (IR05). This test person made no statement because of the perceived contradiction. One Dari-speaking test person commented that she did not find the question easy to understand but was able to answer the item without further difficulty (DA05).
A total of seven test persons stated that they felt "quite" or "moderately" emotionally numb. Most of the explanations showed that they had correctly understood the feeling described in the item text. For example, one test person explained that she currently felt rather emotionally cold because of bad events she had experienced (IR01, response: moderate). Another stated that although she was very emotional, especially when witnessing the suffering of others, she was unable to cry (IR06, response: quite). One test person from Syria stated that showing one's emotions openly is a sign of weakness and that even one's partner should not know when one is crying inside (SY02, response: moderate). Another test person from Syria explained that she consciously tried not to deal emotionally with events from the past, but to ignore them (SY05, response: moderate). Meanwhile, in the case of one test person from Afghanistan, it remained unclear whether she was refer-ring to internal numbness. She stated that she had been in very severe pain but had not been able to cry (DA06, response: moderate). She seemed to be referring to an injury to her leg from the previous month.
Likewise, seven test persons stated that they did not feel emotionally numb "at all". These test persons either stated that they considered themselves to be an emotional person who could weep easily (SY04, SY06), or commented rather succinctly that they did not feel as described in the item.
Two test persons from Afghanistan did not receive this item because it had been accidentally replaced by another item in the Dari translation. The interpreter read the item to be tested orally to the other four test persons and asked the test persons to answer using the answer scale. All Arabic-speaking test persons received the item.
Two Arabic-speaking test persons spontaneously expressed problems understanding the question (SY05, IR05). One of them asked about the meaning of "numb" in this context (SY05) but seemed to understand the explanation in the brackets behind it. The other found feeling sad but not being able to cry contradictory (IR05). This test person made no statement because of the perceived contradiction. One Dari-speaking test person commented that she did not find the question easy to understand but was able to answer the item without further difficulty (DA05).
A total of seven test persons stated that they felt "quite" or "moderately" emotionally numb. Most of the explanations showed that they had correctly understood the feeling described in the item text. For example, one test person explained that she currently felt rather emotionally cold because of bad events she had experienced (IR01, response: moderate). Another stated that although she was very emotional, especially when witnessing the suffering of others, she was unable to cry (IR06, response: quite). One test person from Syria stated that showing one's emotions openly is a sign of weakness and that even one's partner should not know when one is crying inside (SY02, response: moderate). Another test person from Syria explained that she consciously tried not to deal emotionally with events from the past, but to ignore them (SY05, response: moderate). Meanwhile, in the case of one test person from Afghanistan, it remained unclear whether she was refer-ring to internal numbness. She stated that she had been in very severe pain but had not been able to cry (DA06, response: moderate). She seemed to be referring to an injury to her leg from the previous month.
Likewise, seven test persons stated that they did not feel emotionally numb "at all". These test persons either stated that they considered themselves to be an emotional person who could weep easily (SY04, SY06), or commented rather succinctly that they did not feel as described in the item.
Recommendations:
We recommend formulating the item in the first person to make the explanation of "emotionally numb" easier to understand:
“I felt emotionally numb (for example, I felt sad but couldn't cry, or had a hard time feeling loving emotions).” [„Ich fühlte mich emotional taub (zum Beispiel fühlte ich mich traurig, konnte aber nicht weinen, oder fiel es mir schwer, liebevolle Gefühle zu empfinden).“]
“I felt emotionally numb (for example, I felt sad but couldn't cry, or had a hard time feeling loving emotions).” [„Ich fühlte mich emotional taub (zum Beispiel fühlte ich mich traurig, konnte aber nicht weinen, oder fiel es mir schwer, liebevolle Gefühle zu empfinden).“]