title: A cross-cultural validation of the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents in a Dutch population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trauma-focused interventions for children could be administered more efficiently and effectively if posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related symptoms were first investigated by a reliable and valid instrument. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA) is the gold standard for the assessment of PTSD. Until now no cross-cultural validation study has been published in an English peer-reviewed journal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at the cross-cultural validation of the Dutch CAPS-CA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 112 children between the age of 8 and 18 were recruited at two trauma centers. Children were interviewed with the CAPS-CA and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule Child (ADIS-C) version, and each filled out the Children's Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES-13), the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). One caretaker of each child was also interviewed by means of the ADIS Parent (ADIS-P) version and filled out the RCADS and SDQ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Dutch CAPS-CA showed as good internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and concurrent validity as the original English version. Similar to the original version, we found better psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency and convergent validity for children 13 years and older than for children younger than 13 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Dutch CAPS-CA is as reliable and valid as the original English version.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diehle
authors.forename: Carlijn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Roos
authors.forename: Frits
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boer
authors.forename: Ramón J L
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lindauer
keywords: CAPS-CA; Posttraumatic stress disorder; children; diagnostic interview; reliability; validity