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International development and psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS)

Cedric Sachser1, Lucy Berliner2, Tonje Holt3

  • 1University of Ulm, Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Germany.

Journal of Affective Disorders
|January 4, 2017
PubMed

Insights

The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) demonstrates reliable and valid psychometric properties for screening posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children and adolescents. This tool supports clinicians in identifying and monitoring trauma-related symptoms effectively.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • Psychometric Assessment
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Systematic screening is crucial for identifying children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).
  • Reliable and valid measures aligned with current diagnostic criteria are essential for effective PTSS detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the internal consistency and construct validity of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS).
  • To assess the CATS across diverse, trauma-exposed child and adolescent samples in the US, Germany, and Norway.

Main Methods:

  • Internal consistency assessed using Cronbach's alpha.
  • Convergent-discriminant validity examined via correlations with depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms.
  • Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) used to investigate the DSM-5 factor structure.

Main Results:

  • The 20-item CATS demonstrated good to excellent reliability (alpha .88-.94) across self-report and caregiver reports in all samples.
  • Strong correlations were found with depression and anxiety measures, and low to moderate correlations with externalizing symptoms.
  • CFA supported the DSM-5-based four-symptom cluster structure (re-experiencing, avoidance, negative alterations, hyperarousal).

Conclusions:

  • The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) exhibits satisfactory psychometric properties.
  • Clinicians can consider the CATS as a valuable screening tool for posttraumatic stress symptoms.
  • The CATS can also be utilized for ongoing symptom monitoring in pediatric populations.
Abstract

Keywords:
Children and adolescentsPTSDQuestionnaireScreeningTraumatic events

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