Assessing childhood trauma in New Zealand prisons: Mixed method validation of the CTQ-SF

Childhood trauma has crucial implications for correctional rehabilitation, with higher rates of abuse and neglect being associated with lower rates of treatment completion. This necessitates a valid screening tool for prison-based rehabilitation programmes.

To examine the psychometric properties of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) in a New Zealand (NZ) correctional context and explore participants' experiences completing the questionnaire.

The quantitative study involved 174 men from prison-based rehabilitation programmes (n = 75) and the general NZ population (n = 99). Participants in the qualitative study were 10 men engaged in prison-based rehabilitation programmes.

Internal consistency was examined, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to explore the reliability and validity of the CTQ-SF. The qualitative study involved focus groups, and the data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

While the incarcerated sample reported significantly higher rates of trauma than the general population (η²_p = 0.37), the factor structure of the CTQ-SF was an adequate fit for the combined sample (CFI = 0.917, TLI = 0.906, RMSEA = 0.088). However, focus groups revealed potential issues with the items, response options, and assessment process. Participants believed the CTQ-SF did not capture the complexity of their experiences and wanted a greater focus on healing and autonomy in the assessment process.

Findings can be used to adapt the CTQ-SF to better suit correctional contexts and address barriers to treatment completion.