TRANSLATION INTO GREEK of the VERBAL ABUSE SCALE (VAS- GR)

Maria Malliarou, Kostantinia Karathanasi, Pavlos Sarafis, John Koutelekos, Panayiotis Prezerakos, Sofia Zyga

Friday, May 1, 2015

Publication year:

2015

Authors:

• Malliarou Maria, Mayor, RN, MSc, PhD, 404 Military Hospital, Larisa, Greece.
• Karathanasi Kostantinia, Major, RN, MSc, PhDc , 404 Military Hospital, Larisa, Greece
• Sarafis Pavlos, Assistant Professor, Technological University of Cyprus
• Koutelekos John, PhD, Assisstant Professor, Department of Nursing A',Technological Educational Institute of Athens
• Prezerakos Panayiotis, Assistant Professor in Nursing Services Management-Modules of Nursing Care, Department of Nursing, University of Peloponnese
• Zyga Sofia, Assistant Professor in Fundamental Nursing, Department of Nursing, University of Peloponnese

Keywords index:

• quality of life
• diabetes
• effects

Pages: 73-82

Abstract:

Verbal violence in the workplace, is a reality with many and diverse effects on the psyche of workers and mainly occurs in cases where there is a relationship of unequal power imbalance, as maintaining factor of the power of " abuser" to the abused.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was the translation into Greek language the reliable and valid international VERBAL ABUSE SCALE questionnaire designed to assess verbal violence in the workplace.

Methodology: The original questionnaire consists of five subscales that form a set of 79 questions. Two independent translators (the authors), Greek native speakers, translated the VERBAL ABUSE SCALE from English (forward translation) into a first version, which was given into two other observers, whose comments resulted into a second Greek edition. This edition translated back into English by three independent translators, Greek native speakers, with proficiency degree in English, without any knowledge of the original (backward translation). Based on those translations, the authors reached a third edition which along with the English original was given to two nursing professors' and their comments reformulate some questions in cultural differences, leading to a fourth Greek version. Following their own suggestions, another improved version came up; this was again given to additional translator English native speaker, whose translation was the one that assessed as equivalent to the original English version of the tool.

Results: The VAS questionnaire is now available in Greek (VAS Gr.v0).

Conclusions: The VAS questionnaire has been translated in Greek so that the two tools, original and translated, evaluated as equivalent. The next step is to be validated so to be used in order to assess the phenomenon of verbal abuse in Greek hospitals