NCJ Number
208209
Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse: A Review Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 55-78
Date Published
January 2005
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article reviews 35 screening tools for the assessment of trauma in the lives of children and adolescents.
Abstract
The implementation of appropriate and effective trauma interventions and treatment for children and adolescents relies on the accurate assessment of trauma in this population. During the past 15 years, practitioners and researchers have developed a wide array of measures for the assessment of trauma. The current article provides an overview of 35 measures, 25 in depth and 10 in brief, that fall into 3 broad categories: (1) those that both measure a history of exposure to trauma and assess the impact; (2) those that only measure a history of trauma exposure; and (3) those that assess the impact of trauma exposure. The overview includes information about psychometric properties, the availability of the instrument, cost of the instrument, and time required to administer the instrument. Specific items from the measurements have been included where possible and contact information is provided when known. Overall, the instruments probing both a history of exposure and an assessment of its impact generally rely on measures of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Only one measure was a broad trauma measure that explored a range of trauma exposures. Most of the measures reviewed could benefit from further psychometric development, especially in terms of the impact of gender and age on trauma outcomes. Appendix, table, references