Assessing posttraumatic stress disorder using the trauma symptom checklist for young children

This pilot study assessed the performance of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) in correctly classifying the presence or absence of PTSD, as determined by the Diagnostic Interview for children and Adolescents-Parent (DICA-P). Participants included 34 children, ages 4 to 12, referred for outpatient treatment. The 11 PTSD-positive participants scored significantly higher than the 23 PTSD-negative participants on scales assessing intrusive symptoms, arousal symptoms, and total posttraumatic stress (PTS). A model including the PTS-Intrusion, PTS-Avoidance, and PTS-Arousal scales, and the sexual concerns, dissociation, and anger/aggression scales correctly classified 100% of the PTSD-negative and 72.7% of the PTSD-positive participants. These findings suggest that the TSCYC may be used as an economical and time-efficient screening device for PTSD.