The Symptoms of Trauma Scale (SOTS): An Initial Psychometric Study.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• The Symptoms of Trauma Scale (SOTS) is a clinician-rated interview assessing trauma symptom severity.
• Evaluating the SOTS in an outpatient setting for chronic interpersonal trauma survivors is crucial for clinical utility.
• Understanding the psychometric properties of the SOTS is essential for its reliable application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability and psychometric properties of the Symptoms of Trauma Scale (SOTS) in an outpatient setting.
• To assess the SOTS's reliability and validity in measuring trauma-related symptoms in survivors of chronic interpersonal trauma.
• To gather feedback from clinicians and participants on the SOTS interview experience.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 30 participants treated for chronic interpersonal trauma.
• Participants completed self-report measures for PTSD, depression, dissociation, self-esteem, and affect dysregulation.
• Two trained interviewers conducted semi-structured interviews using the SOTS.

Main Results:

• SOTS composite scores demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and interrater reliability for various PTSD and complex PTSD (cPTSD) classifications.
• Evidence of convergent, discriminant, criterion, and construct validity was found for SOTS composite PTSD scores.
• The SOTS interview was perceived as efficient, informative, and well-tolerated by both interviewers and participants.

Conclusions:

• The SOTS is a potentially valuable tool for assessing trauma symptom severity in clinical settings.
• Further research is needed to refine the SOTS, particularly for total scores and specific symptom items like hyperarousal, affect dysregulation, and dissociation.
• The SOTS shows promise for informing clinical practice and guiding future research in trauma assessment.