Measuring Reactions to Sexual Trauma among Children: Comparing the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children

Abstract

This study examined convergent and discriminant validity between the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale—revised (CITES-R) and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) in a sample of 80 sexually abused children. Convergent and discriminant validity between the CITES-R post-traumatic stress measure and the TSCC clinical scales were demonstrated. Also, convergent and discriminant validity for the CITES-R Eroticism scale were supported. More specifically, the CITES-R Eroticism scale was significantly associated with the TSCC Sexual Concerns (SC) scale (particularly the SC Preoccupation subscale), but was unrelated to the other TSCC clinical scales. Partial support for the expected relationships between the CITES-R Social Reactions and Attributions subscales and the TSCC clinical scales was noted. As expected, the CITES-R Social Support subscale was modestly associated with TSCC measures of depression and anger, whereas the CITES-R Negative Reactions by Others subscale was significantly related to symptoms on all six TSCC clinical scales. Furthermore, the CITES-R Self-Blame/Guilt, Personal Vulnerability, and Empowerment subscales were significantly associated with the majority of the TSCC clinical scales, whereas the CITES-R Dangerous World subscale (which also demonstrated poor internal consistency) was not significantly associated with any of the six TSCC clinical scales.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Achenbach, T. M. , & Edelbrock, C. (1983). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and revised Child Behavior Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont.

Beitchman, J. H. , Zucker, K. J. , Hood, J. E. , daCosta, G. A. , & Akman, D. (1991). A review of the short-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 15, 537-556.

Briere, J. N. (1996). Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children—Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.

Briere, J. N. , & Runtz, M. (1988). Symptomatology associated with childhood sexual victimization in a non-clinical adult sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 12, 51-59.

Browne, A. , & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 66-77.

Cohen, S. , & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.

Elliott, D. M. , & Briere, J. N. (1994). Forensic sexual abuse evaluations of older children: Disclosures and symptomatology. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 12, 261-277.

Everson, M. , Hunter, W. , Runyon, D. , Edelsohn, G. , & Coulter, M. (1989). Maternal support following disclosure of incest. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 197-207.

Friedrich, W. N. , Beilke, R. L. , & Urquiza, A. J. (1988). Behavior problems in younger sexually abused boys: A comparison study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 3, 21-28.

10.

Friedrich, W. N. , Grambsch, P. , Damon, L. , Hewitt, S. , Koverola, C. , Lange, R. , Wolfe, V. , & Groughton, D. (1992). The Child Sexual Behavior Inventory: Normative and clinical findings. Psychological Assessment, 4, 303-311.

11.

Friedrich, W. N. , Jaworski, T. M. , Huxsahl, J. E. , & Bengtson, B. S. (1997). Dissociative and sexual behaviors in children and adolescents with sexual abuse and psychiatric histories. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 155-171.

12.

Gold, E. R. (1986). Long-term effects of sexual victimization in childhood: An attributional approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 471-475.

13.

Hanson, R. F. , Smith, D. W. , Saunders, B. E. , Swenson, C. C. , & Conrad, L. (1995). Measurement in child abuse research: A survey of researchers. The APSAC Advisor, 8, 7-10.

14.

Kendall-Tackett, K. , Williams, L. , & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 164-180.

15.

Kovacs, M. (1983). The Children's Depression Inventory: A self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters. Unpublished manuscript.

16.

Lanktree, C. B. , & Briere, J. N. (1995). Outcome of therapy for sexually abused children: A repeated measures study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 19, 1145-1155.

17.

Putnam, F. W. (1990). Child Dissociative Checklist (Version 3). Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health.

18.

Spaccarelli, S. (1994). Stress, appraisal, and coping in child sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 340-362.

19.

Wolfe, D. , Gentile, C. , & Wolfe, D. A. (1989). The impact of sexual abuse on children: A PTSD formulation. Behavior Therapy, 20, 215-228.

20.

Wolfe, D. , Sas, L. , & Wekerle, C. (1994). Factors associated with the development of post-traumatic stress disorder among child victims of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18, 37-50.

21.

Wolfe, V. (1996). Measuring post-traumatic stress disorder: The Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale-Revised. The APSAC Advisor, 9, 25-26.

22.

Wolfe, V. , & Gentile, C. (1991). Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale—Revised. Unpublished assessment instrument, Department of Psychology, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario.

23.

Wolfe, V. , Gentile, C. , Michienzi, T. , Sas, L. , & Wolfe, D. (1991). The Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale: A measure of post-sexual-abuse PTSD symptoms. Behavioral Assessment, 13, 359-383.

24.

Wyatt, G. E. , & Newcomb, M. (1990). Internal and external mediators of women's sexual abuse in childhood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 758-767.