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The psychometric properties of the child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) were examined in 2 samples. Sample 1 (N = 185, ages 6-17 years) consisted of children recruited from hospitals after accidental injury, assault, and road traffic trauma, and assessed 6 months posttrauma. Sample 2 (N = 68, ages 6-17 years) comprised treatment-seeking children who had experienced diverse traumas. In both samples psychometric properties were generally good to very good (internal reliability for total CPSS scores = .83 and .90, respectively). The point-biserial correlation of the CPSS with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis derived from structured clinical interview was .51, and children diagnosed with PTSD reported significantly higher symptoms than non-PTSD children. The CPSS demonstrated applicability to be used as a diagnostic measure, demonstrating sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 72%. The performance of the CPSS Symptom Severity Scale to accurately identify PTSD at varying cutoffs is reported in both samples, with a score of 16 or above suggested as a revised cutoff.

Original publication

DOI

10.1037/a0033324

Type

Journal article

Journal

Psychol Assess

Publication Date

09/2013

Volume

25

Pages

1025 - 1031

Keywords

Adolescent, Age Factors, Child, Female, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Life Change Events, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Reproducibility of Results, Sensitivity and Specificity, Sex Factors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic