The Psychometric Properties of the International Trauma Questionnaire in Taiwan

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder was often present after chronic traumatic events. The diagnostic criteria of complex post-traumatic disorder consisted of both post-traumatic stress disorder and disturbance in self-organization. People with complex post-traumatic disorder often exposed to chronic stress. It might not be as significant as the major traumatic event as survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder had experienced. Therefore, the impact of complex post-traumatic stress disorder was often ignored. It is critical to identify the at-risk individuals with complex post-traumatic disorder in community. We planned to investigate the psychometrics of the International Trauma Questionnaire for assessing complex post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in Taiwan.

One hundred twenty-one individuals were enrolled and they completed 8 self-report scales, including International Trauma Questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Chinese version of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Interpersonal Relationship Scale. The psychometric of International Trauma Questionnaire was examined by bivariate correlation analysis, independent t-test, and factor analysis.

The study showed International Trauma Questionnaire had good reliability and validity and corresponded with previous studies. The result of confirmatory factor analysis supported the structure of complex post-traumatic stress disorder criteria in International Classification of Diseases-11. The 2-factor second-order model was the best-fitting model. The 6 symptom domains of complex post-traumatic stress disorder were also significantly correlated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

It suggests that the Chinese version of International Trauma Questionnaire could be used for screening at-risk groups and future works for mental public health in Taiwan.