title: Trauma specific versus generic measurement of distress and the validity of self-reported symptoms in sexually abused children.
abstract: This study examined two issues in the assessment of child sexual abuse victims: sensitivity to trauma-related symptoms and validity of self-reports. The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) and Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY) were completed by 41 sexually abused children. Parents and children completed diagnostic interviews for PTSD. We predicted that TSCC validity scales would be moderately correlated with PIY scales measuring similar constructs, and that TSCC clinical scales would be more sensitive to PTSD status than the PIY clinical scales. Results supported both hypotheses. TSCC validity scales appeared to be less likely to identify clinical cases, however. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Crime Victims Research & Treaatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. frickera@musc.edu
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fricker
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003710:Demography; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires