This article describes the development and initial psychometric properties of the Milwaukee Inventory for Styles of Trichotillomania-Child Version (MIST-C), a self-report scale designed to assess styles of hair pulling in children and adolescents diagnosed with trichotillomania (TTM). Using Internet sampling procedures, the authors recruited 164 parent–child dyads, the children of whom met modified diagnostic criteria for TTM. The MIST-C was administered in the context of a larger survey examining functional impairment experienced by children with TTM. Results of an exploratory factor analysis on MIST-C items revealed a two-factor solution. Factors 1 (“focused” pulling scale) and 2 (“automatic” pulling scale) consisted of 21 and 4 items, respectively, with both scales demonstrating acceptable internal consistency and good construct and discriminant validity. The development of the MIST-C provides researchers with a reliable and valid assessment of “automatic” and “focused” pulling, and provides a means by which to examine the developmental trajectory and treatment implications of these pulling styles.
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