Assessment of child maltreatment has been inconsistent across literature due to its complexity, multidimensionality, and the variety of conceptualizations of this construct. Five instruments have recurrently examined psychometric properties across the last years of research: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure, Child Abuse Potential Inventory, Identification of Parents at Risk for child Abuse and Neglect, and Psychosocial Screening Tool. This article aims to examine and wrap up the knowledge regarding the psychometric properties of these instruments. A systematic review was performed through three of the most relevant databases in order to identify the most validated instruments to assess child maltreatment from 2010 to 2020, and 19 research articles were identified. Results indicate that there is a lack of information regarding some psychometric properties and therefore, in the light of this information, it is not possible to clearly determine if there are instruments with stronger scientific evidence for their psychometric properties, although the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure Scale (MACE) obtained the strongest psychometric evidence. This systematic review provided a comprehensive review on the main psychometric properties of five child maltreatment instruments in order to facilitate researchers and child welfare professionals the selection of the most suitable instrument for their specific purpose. We recommend addressing these gaps of information by further examining the psychometric properties of these instruments, and developing valid and reliable instruments for early detection in child maltreatment.
*AlobaO.OpakunleT.OgunrinuO. (2020). Childhood trauma questionnaire-short form (CTQ-SF): dimensionality, validity, reliability and gender invariance among Nigerian adolescents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 101 (2020), 104357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104357
2.
*BarreraM.HancockK.RokeachA.CataudellaD.AtenafuE.JohnstonD.PunnettA.NathanPC.BartelsU.SilvaM.CassidyM.JansenP.ShamaW.GreenbergC. (2014). External validity and reliability of the psychosocial assessment tool (PAT) among Canadian parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 61(1), 165–170. https://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.24774
BernsteinD. P.FinkL. (1998). Childhood trauma questionnaire: A retrospective self-report manual. AntonioS. (Ed.). The Psychological Corporation.
5.
BernsteinD. P.SteinJ. A.NewcombM. D.WalkerE.PoggeD.AhluvaliaT.StokesJ.HandelsmanL.MedranoM.DesmondDZuleW. (2003). Development and validation of a brief screening version of the childhood trauma questionnaire. Child Maltreatment & Neglect, 27(2), 169–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(02)00541-0
6.
Bouwmeester-LandweerM. B. R. (2006). Early home visitation in families at risk for child Maltreatment (Doctoral thesis). Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University, Leiden.
*CharakR.de JongJ. T. V. M.BerckmoesL. H.NdayisabaH.ReisR. (2017). Assessing the factor structure of the childhood trauma questionnaire, and cumulative effect of abuse and neglect on mental health among adolescents in conflict-affected Burundi. Child Abuse & Neglect, 72(2017), 383–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.09.009
9.
CowleyL. E.MaguireS.FarewellD. M.Quinn-ScogginsH. D.FlynnM. O.KempA. M. (2018). Factors influencing child protection professionals’ decision-making and multidisciplinary collaboration in suspected abusive head trauma cases: A qualitative study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 82(2018), 178–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.06.009
10.
*DovranA.WinjeD.ØverlandS. N.BreivikK.ArefjordK.DalsbøA. S.JentoftM. B.HansenA. L.WaageL. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in high‐risk groups. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 54(4), 286–291. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12052
11.
EvansR.GarnerP.HonigA. S. (2014). Prevention of violence, maltreatment and neglect in early childhood: A review of the literature on research, policy and practice. Early Child Development and Care, 184(9-10), 1295–1335. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2014.910327
12.
FelittiV.AndaM.NordenbergD.WilliamsonD.SpitzA.EdwardsV.KossM. P.MarksJ. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
13.
*FordeD. R.BaronS. W.ScherC. D.SteinM. B. (2012). Factor structure and reliability of the childhood trauma questionnaire and prevalence estimates of trauma for male and female street youth. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(2), 364–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260511416461
14.
*FosseR.SkjelstadD. V.SchalinskiI.ThekkumthalaD.ElbertT.AanondsenC. M.GregerH. K.JozefiakT. (2020). Measuring childhood maltreatment: Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the maltreatment and abuse chronology of exposure (MACE) scale. Plos One, 15(2), Article e0229661. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229661
15.
GeorgievaS.TomásJ. M.Navarro-PérezJ. J. (2021). Systematic review and critical appraisal of childhood trauma questionnaire—Short form (CTQ-SF). Child Abuse & Neglect, 120(2021), 105223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105223
16.
GuastaferroK.LutzkerJ. R. (2021). The prevention of child maltreatment: using SafeCare® to highlight successes and needs for improvement in prevention efforts. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 5(1), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-021-00090-w
17.
HansonJ. L.KnodtA. R.BrigidiB. D.HaririA. R. (2015). Lower structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus is associated with a history of child maltreatment and future psychological vulnerability to stress. Development and Psychopathology, 27(4pt2), 1611–1619. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579415000978
18.
*HeJ.ZhongX.GaoY.XiongG.YaoS. (2019). Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the childhood trauma questionnaire-short form (CTQ-SF) among undergraduates and depressive patients. Child Abuse & Neglect, 91 (2019), 102–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.03.009
19.
*HernándezA.Gallardo-PujolD.PeredaN.ArntzA.BernsteinD. P.GaviriaA. M.LabadA.ValeroJ.Gutiérrez-ZotesJ. A. (2013). Initial validation of the Spanish childhood trauma questionnaire-short form: Factor structure, reliability and association with parenting. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(7), 1498–1518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260512468240
20.
HigginsJ. P.ThomasJ.ChandlerJ.CumpstonM.LiT.PageM. J.WelchV. A. (Eds.). (2019). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119536604
21.
*HorrevortsE. M.van GriekenA.MielooC. L.Hafkamp-de GroenE.BanninkR.Bouwmeester-LandweerM. B.BroerenS.RaatH. (2017). Concurrent validity, discriminatory power and feasibility of the instrument for Identification of Parents at Risk for child Abuse and Neglect (IPARAN). BMJ open, 7(8), Article e016140. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016140
22.
Jiménez-BorjaM.Jiménez-BorjaV.Borja-AlvarezT.MurgueitioJ. (2020). Prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ICAST-R. Child Abuse & Neglect, 99(2020), 104230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104230.
23.
*KarosK.NiederstrasserN.AbidiL.BernsteinD. P.BaderK. (2014). Factor structure, reliability, and known groups validity of the German version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Short-form) in Swiss patients and nonpatients. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 23(4), 418–430. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2014.896840
24.
KazakA. E. (2006). Pediatric psychosocial preventative health model (PPPHM): Research, practice, and collaboration in pediatric family systems medicine. Families, Systems and Health, 24(4), 381–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/1091-7527.24.4.381
25.
KiselyS.AbajobirA. A.MillsR.StrathearnL.ClavarinoA.NajmanJ. M. (2018). Child maltreatment and mental health problems in adulthood: Birth cohort study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 213(6), 698–703. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2018.207
26.
Kluwe-SchiavonB.ViolaT. W.Grassi-OliveiraR. (2016). Cross-cultural adaptation of the maltreatment and abuse chronology of exposure (MACE) scale to Brazilian Portuguese. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 38(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-6089-2015-0051
27.
*KongerslevM. T.BachB.RossiG.TrauelsenA. M.LadegaardN.LøkkegaardS. S.BoS. (2019). Psychometric validation of the childhood trauma questionnaire-short form (CTQ-SF) in a Danish clinical sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 94 (2019), 104026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104026
28.
*KutsalE.PasliF.IsikliS.SahinF.YilmazG.BeyazovaU. (2011). Preliminary validation of the child abuse potential inventory in Turkey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(14), 2856–2865. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510390952
29.
*McCarthyM. C.HearpsS. J.MuscaraF.AndersonV. A.BurkeK.HearpsS. J.KazakA. E. (2016). Family psychosocial risk screening in infants and older children in the acute pediatric hospital setting using the Psychosocial Assessment Tool. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(7), 820–829. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsw055
30.
MilnerJ. S. (1986). The child abuse potential inventory manual (2nd ed.). Psytec Inc.
31.
MilnerJ. S.CrouchJ. L. (2012). Psychometric characteristics of translated versions of the child abuse potential inventory. Psychology of Violence, 2(3), 239–259. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026957
32.
MoherD.ShamseerL.ClarkeM.GhersiD.LiberatiA.PetticrewM.ShekelleP.StewartL.A.PRISMA-P Group (2015). Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Systematic Reviews, 4(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-4053-4-1
33.
MokkinkL. B.De VetH. C.PrinsenC. A.PatrickD. L.AlonsoJ.BouterL. M.TerweeC. B. (2018). COSMIN risk of bias checklist for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures. Quality of Life Research, 27(5), 1171–1179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-017-1765-4
34.
NewinsA. R.WilsonL. C.KimbrelN. A. (2021). Child maltreatment and suicidal ideation: The role of PTSD symptoms and alcohol misuse. Current Psychology, 40(10), 4930–4936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00436-1
35.
NollJ.G.SusmanE.J.CarmodyK.A.ReaderJ.M. (2018) The policy and practice implications of child maltreatment research: The legacy of Penelope K. Trickett. In NegriffS.. (Eds.), Child maltreatment research, policy, and practice. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04561-6_6
36.
NormanR. E.ByambaaM.DeR.ButchartA.ScottJ.VosT. (2012). The long-term health consequences of child physical maltreatment, emotional maltreatment, and neglect: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Plos Medicine, 9(11), Article e1001349. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001349
37.
PaiA. L.Patiño-FernándezA. M.McSherryM.BeeleD.AlderferM. A.ReillyA. T.Wei-Ting HwangM. D.KazakA. E. (2008). The psychosocial assessment Tool (PAT2. 0): Psychometric properties of a screener for psychosocial distress in families of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 33(1), 50–62. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsm053
38.
PaulhusD. L.VazireS. (2007). The self-report method. In RobinsR. W.Chris FraleyR.KruegerR. F. (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in personality psychology (pp. 224–239). The Guilford Press.
39.
PetrowskiN.CappaC.PereiraA.MasonH.DabanR. A. (2021). Violence against children during COVID-19: Assessing and understanding change in use of helplines. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116(Part 2), 104757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104757
40.
Picornell-LucasA.López-PeláezA. (2022). The digital citizenship of children and adolescents: Challenges for social work education. Research in Education and Learning Innovation Archives, 28, 32–37. https://doi.org/10.7203/28.23001
41.
PrinsenC. A.MokkinkL. B.BouterL. M.AlonsoJ.PatrickD. L.De VetH. C.TerweeC. B. (2018). COSMIN guideline for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures. Quality of Life Research, 27(5), 1147–1157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1798-3
42.
RaffaelliM.SantanaJ. P.De MoraisN. A.NietoC. J.KollerS. H. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences and adjustment: A longitudinal study of street-involved youth in Brazil. Child Abuse & Neglect, 85(2018), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.07.032.
43.
SainiS. M.HoffmannC. R.PantelisC.EverallI. P.BousmanC. A. (2019). Systematic review and critical appraisal of child maltreatment measurement instruments. Psychiatry Research, 272(2019), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.12.068
44.
SchertzM.Karni-ViselY.HershkowitzI.FlaisherM.HershkowitzF. (2018). Child maltreatment identification rates in a child development center: Suggestions for improved detection. European Journal of Pediatrics, 177(7), 1081–1087. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-018-3163-5
45.
*SchmidtM. R.NarayanA. J.AtzlV. M.RiveraL. M.LiebermanA. F. (2020). Childhood maltreatment on the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) scale versus the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) in a perinatal sample. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 29(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1524806
46.
*Sint NicolaasS. M.SchepersS. A.HoogerbruggeP. M.CaronH. N.KaspersG. J.van den Heuvel-EibrinkM. M.GrootehnhuisMA.VerhaakC. M. (2016). Screening for psychosocial risk in Dutch families of a child with cancer: reliability, validity, and usability of the psychosocial assessment tool. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(7), 810–819. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsv119
47.
*SpiesG.KiddM.SeedatS. (2019). A factor analytic study of the childhood trauma questionnaire-short form in an all-female South African sample with and without HIV infection. Child Abuse & Neglect, 92 (2019), 157–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.04.002
48.
Sprague-JonesJ.SinghP.RousseauM.CountsJ.FirmanC. (2020). The protective factors survey, 2nd edition: Establishing validity and reliability of a self-report measure of protective factors against child maltreatment. Child & Youth Services Review, 111(2020), 104868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104868.
49.
StoltenborghM.Bakermans‐KranenburgM. J.AlinkL. R.van IJzendoornM. H. (2015). The prevalence of child maltreatment across the globe: Review of a series of meta‐analyses. Child Abuse Review, 24(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2353
50.
*TeicherM. H.PariggerA. (2015). The ‘maltreatment and maltreatment chronology of exposure’(MACE) scale for the retrospective assessment of maltreatment and neglect during development. Plos One, 10(2), Article e0117423. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117423
51.
TerweeC. B.PrinsenC. A.ChiarottoA.WestermanM. J.PatrickD. L.AlonsoJ.BouterL. M.de VetH. C. W.MokkinkL. B. (2018). COSMIN methodology for evaluating the content validity of patient-reported outcome measures: A Delphi study. Quality of Life Research, 27(5), 1159–1170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1829-0
52.
TerweeC. B.PrinsenC. A. C.Ricci GarottiM. G.SumanA.de VetH. C. W.MokkinkL. B. (2016). The quality of systematic reviews of health-related outcome measurement instruments. Quality of Life Research, 25(4), 767–779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1122-4
53.
TuffordL.LeeB.BogoM.WenghoferE.EtheringtonC.ThieuV.ZhaoR. (2021). Decision-making and relationship competence when reporting suspected physical abuse and child neglect: An objective structured clinical evaluation. Clinical Social Work Journal, 49(2), 256–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-020-00785-6
54.
VachonD. D.KruegerR. F.RogoschF. A.CicchettiD. (2015). Assessment of the harmful psychiatric and behavioral effects of different forms of child maltreatment. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(11), 1135–1142. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1792
55.
van der PutC. E.AssinkM.van SolingeN. F. B. (2017a). Predicting child maltreatment: A meta-analysis of the predictive validity of risk assessment instruments. Child Abuse & Neglect, 73 (2017), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.09.016
56.
*van der PutC. E.Bouwmeester-LandweerM. B.Landsmeer-BekerE. A.WitJ. M.DekkerF. W.KousemakerN. P. J.BaartmanH. E. (2017b). Screening for potential child maltreatment in parents of a newborn baby: The predictive validity of an Instrument for early identification of parents at risk for child abuse and neglect (IPARAN). Child Abuse & Neglect, 70 (2017), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.05.016
57.
WalkerC. A.DaviesJ. (2010). A critical review of the psychometric evidence base of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Journal of Family Violence, 25(2), 215–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-009-9285-9
58.
*WellsB. M.CrouchJ. L.SchubertR.IrwinL. M.RisserH. J.SkowronskiJ. J. (2011). Revisiting the issue of the child abuse potential inventory’s internal consistency in adolescent samples. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(4), 351–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.023
WilkinsD.WhittakerC. (2018). Doing child-protection social work with parents: What are the barriers in practice?The British Journal of Social Work, 48(7), 2003–2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcx139
61.
YoonSSpeyerRCordierRAunioPHakkarainenA. (2020). A systematic review evaluating psychometric properties of parent or caregiver report instruments on child maltreatment: Part 2: Internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, structural validity, hypothesis testing, cross-cultural validity, and criterion validity. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(5), 1296–1315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020915591
62.
ZhangH.HanT.MaS.QuG.ZhaoT.DingX.SunL.QinQ.ChenM.SunY. (2022). Association of child maltreatment and bullying victimization among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of family function, resilience, and anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders, 299(2022), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.11.053
