title: Challenges in the retrospective assessment of trauma: comparing a checklist approach to a single item trauma experience screening question.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research on trauma and its impact on mental health typically relies on self-reports which can be influenced by recall bias and an individual's subjective interpretation of events. This study aims to compare responses on a checklist of life events with a trauma experience screening question, both of which assessed trauma experience retrospectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community sample of adults were asked about life events from a checklist before asking them whether they ever had a trauma experience, i.e. "an event that either puts them or someone close to them at risk of serious harm or death".
  
  
  RESULTS
  Less than half of the sample who reported at least one life event on the checklist that qualified as a trauma reported a trauma experience that they perceived put them or close others at risk of serious harm. Women responders, those reporting early life traumas, and a greater number of lifetime trauma events were more likely to report a trauma experience. Current symptoms of Common Mental Disorder did not account for differences in reporting of trauma experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epidemiological approaches which require participants to make subjective judgement on the severity of the trauma experience will capture individual differences that we have shown are influenced by gender and previous trauma experience.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, BRC nucleus, Mapother House, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. Souci.1.frissa@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Souci
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frissa
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, BRC nucleus, Mapother House, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. stephani.hatch@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephani L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Military Mental Health and King's Centre for Military Health Research, King's College London, London, UK. nicola.t.fear@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Fear
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, BRC nucleus, Mapother House, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. sarah.dorrington@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorrington
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, BRC nucleus, Mapother House, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. laura.goodwin@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goodwin
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, BRC nucleus, Mapother House, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK. matthew.hotopf@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hotopf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D057189:Checklist; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
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