The Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI): Development, psychometric properties, and clinical utility.

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Psychometric Assessment

Background:

• Complex trauma significantly impacts children's development and mental health.
• Existing assessment tools may not adequately capture the nuances of complex trauma in young children.
• There is a need for developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI), a pictorial-based tool for assessing complex trauma in children aged 5-11.
• To evaluate the CCTI's reliability, validity, and clinical utility.
• To gather clinician feedback on the feasibility and appropriateness of the CCTI.

Main Methods:

• A prototype of the CCTI was administered by 21 clinicians to children (ages 5-11) with known trauma exposure.
• The UCLA Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) was used concurrently for convergent validity.
• Clinicians completed a survey on the CCTI's clinical utility and feasibility (CUFS).

Main Results:

• The CCTI Symptomatology scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .931).
• Strong correlations were found between the CCTI and UCLA PTSD-RI scales for trauma history (r = .677) and symptomatology (r = .810), supporting convergent validity (p < .001).
• Clinicians found the CCTI comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, easy to use, and engaging.

Conclusions:

• The CCTI is a psychometrically sound and clinically useful tool for assessing complex trauma in young children.
• While generally positive, clinician feedback indicated some challenges with the symptomatology scale and eliciting information on impairment domains.
• Further refinement of the CCTI's symptomatology scale may enhance its application in clinical practice.