Appendix D – Screening & Assessment Instruments
This appendix provides a selected sample of available tools for screening and assessment of traumatic events and trauma-related symptoms. This is not an exhaustive list, nor does this list focus on screening instruments that capture a broader range of symptoms related to trauma (such as sleep hygiene and dissociation) or other features important in providing trauma-informed care (e.g., resilience level, coping skill style, resource availability). For more information on a broad range of available instruments, refer back to Part 1, Chapter 4. Many of the instruments listed below use criteria found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000), but with the release of the DSM-5 (APA, 2013a), instruments will evolve, and new versions will be available under the same contact information.
Screening and Assessment Measures
- Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)
- Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS)
- Distressing Event Questionnaire (DEQ)
- Evaluation of Lifetime Stressors (ELS)
- Impacts of Event Scale Revised (IES-R)
- Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD)
- Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS)
- PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview (PSS-I)
- PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report Version (MPSS-SR)
- Screen for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (SPTSS)
- Structured Interview for PTSD (SI-PTSD)
- Trauma Assessment for Adults (TAA)
- Trauma Assessment for Adults (TAA)–Self Report
- Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ)
- Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI)
- Traumatic Stress Schedule
Screening and Assessment Measures
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)
Domains: | Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD) |
---|---|
Timeframe: | CAPS-Sx: Lifetime and current (past week) CAPS-Dx: Current (past month) |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 30 |
Completion time: | 30–60 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Administered by clinicians and clinical researchers who have a working knowledge of PTSD and by appropriately trained paraprofessionals |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Danny G. Kaloupek, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: veterans, car accident survivors Reliability: alpha = .94, test-retest = .90–.98 Validity: sensitivity = .85, specificity = .95 (compared with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders [SCID]), r = .91 (with MS Scale for Combat-related PTSD) kappa = .77 against the SCID diagnosis; item-total correlations = .49–.82; internal consistency = .94 |
Author(s): | Dudley David Blake, Frank W. Weathers, Linda M. Nagy, Danny G. Kaloupe, Dennis S. Charney, and Terence M. Keane |
Contact: | Danny G. Kaloupek, Ph.D. National Center for PTSD Boston VA Medical Center, 11B 150 South Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02130 |
Relevant citations: | Blake, D. D. (1994). Rationale and development of the clinician-administered PTSD scales. PTSD Research Quarterly, 5, 1–2.
Blake, D. D., Weathers, F. W., Nagy, L. M., Kaloupek, D. G., Gusman, F. D., Charney, D. S., & Keane, T. M. (1995). The development of a clinician-administered PTSD scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8, 75–90. Gray, M., Litz, B., Hsu, J., & Lombardo, T. (2004). Psychometric properties of the Life Events Checklist. Assessment, 11, 330–341. Weathers, F. W., Keane, T. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2001). Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale: A review of the first ten years of research. Depression and Anxiety, 13, 132–156. |
Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS)
Domains: | PTSD symptoms |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past week) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Must have related field and course work in the use of assessment instruments or special training in the use of this instrument. Education/training requirements may be waived for those granted the right to administer tests at this level (B) in their jurisdiction. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Mental Health Systems, Inc. |
Cost or public domain: | Cost: $15.00 |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: rape victims, veterans, hurricane victims, miscellaneous traumas Reliability: alpha = .99, test-retest = .86 |
Author(s): | Jonathan R.T. Davidson |
Contact: | Mental Health Systems, Inc. 908 Niagara Falls Boulevard North Tonawanda, NY, 14120-2060 800-456-3003 |
Relevant citations: | Davidson, J. R. T., Book, S. W., Colket, J. T., Tupler, L. A., Roth, S., David, D., Hertzberg, M., Mellman, T., Beckham, J.C., Smith, R., Davison, R. M., Katz, R., & Feldman, M. (1997). Assessment of a new self-rating scale for posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Medicine, 27, 153–160.
Davidson, J. R., Tharwani, H. M., & Connor, K. M. (2002). Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS): Normative scores in the general population and effect sizes in placebo-controlled SSRI trials. Depression and Anxiety, 15, 75–78. |
Distressing Event Questionnaire (DEQ)
Domains: | Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for multiple events |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Lifetime |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 35 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact Edward Kubany, Ph.D. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Edward Kubany, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Contact Edward Kubany, Ph.D. |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: veterans, battered women Reliability: inter-item r = .93, test-retest = .95; validity: Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .83 (with Penn Inventory, Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .76 (with Beck Depression Inventory) |
Author(s): | Edward Kubany, Mary Beth Leisen, Aaron S. Kaplan, Martin P. Kelly |
Contact: | Edward Kubany, Ph.D. National Center for PTSD Pacific Islands Division Department of VA Suite 307 Honolulu, HI 96813 vog.av.ululonoh@drawdE.ynabuK |
Relevant citations: | Kubany, E. S., Leisen, M. B., Kaplan, A. S., & Kelly, M. P. (2000). Validation of a brief measure of posttraumatic stress disorder: The distressing event questionnaire (DEQ). Psychological Assessment, 12, 197–209. |
Evaluation of Lifetime Stressors (ELS)
Domains: | Trauma history |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Lifetime |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 56 |
Completion time: | 10–20 minutes for screening, 1–3 hours for complete interview |
Qualifications to administer: | Should be administered by trained clinicians only |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Karen Krinsley, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: male veterans, female sexual abuse survivors Reliability: r = .4–1.0 |
Author(s): | Karen Krinsley, Frank W. Weathers, Elana Newman, Edward A. Walker, Danny G. Kaloupek, Rachel Kimerling |
Relevant citations: | Corcoran, C. B., Green, B. L., Goodman, L. A., & Krinsley, K. E. (2000). Conceptual and methodological issues in trauma history assessment. In A. Y. Shalev, R. Yehuda, & A. C. McFarlane (Eds.), International handbook of human response to trauma (pp. 22–232). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Krinsley, K. (1996). Psychometric review of the Evaluation of Lifetime Stressors (ELS) Questionnaire and Interview. In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 160–162). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press. |
Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R)
Domains: | PTSD for a single event |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past week) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 22 |
Completion time: | 5–10 minutes for screening |
Qualifications to administer: | None |
How to obtain scale: | http://consultgerirn.org/uploads/File/trythis/try_this_19.pdf |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: earthquake survivors, emergency disaster workers, Vietnam veterans, violence and sexual assault victims
Reliability: alpha = .79–.92, test-retest = .89–.94, Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .74–.87 |
Author(s): | Daniel Weiss and Charles R. Marmar |
Relevant citations: | Sundin, E. C. & Horowitz, M. J. (2002). Impact of Event Scale: Psychometric properties. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180, 205–209.
Weiss, D. S. & Marmar, C. R. (1996).The Impact of Event Scale-Revised. In J. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 399–411). New York: Guilford Press. (Includes measure in its entirety.) |
Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD)
Domains: | PTSD for multiple events |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Contact National Center for PTSD at gro.dstpcn@dstpcn |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 35 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact National Center for PTSD at vog.av@dstpcn |
How to obtain scale: | To order the scale contact the National Center for PTSD |
Cost or public domain: | Free ( vog.av@dstpcn) |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: veterans Reliability: inter-item r = .94, test-retest = .97 Validity: sensitivity = .93, specificity = .89 |
Author(s): | Terence M. Keane |
Contact: | National Center for PTSD (116D) VA Medical Center 215 N. Main St. White River Junction, VT 05009 http://www.ptsd.va.gov/ |
Relevant citations: | Engdahl, B. & Eberly, R. (1994). Assessing PTSD among veterans exposed to war trauma 40–50 years ago. NCP Clinical Quarterly, 4, 13–14.
Keane, T. M., Caddell, J. M., & Taylor, K. L. (1988). Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Three studies in reliability and validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 85–90. |
Penn Inventory for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Domains: | PTSD for multiple events |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past week) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 26 |
Completion time: | 5–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact Melvyn Hammarberg, Ph.D. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Melvyn Hammarberg, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: veterans, oil-rig disaster survivors Reliability: alpha = .94, test-retest = .96 |
Author(s): | Melvyn Hammarberg |
Contact: | Melvyn Hammarberg, Ph.D. Department of Anthropology University of Pennsylvania 325 University Museum 33rd and Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6398 |
Relevant citations: | Hammarberg, M. (1996). Psychometric review of the Penn Interview for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In B. H, Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 231–235). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press. (Includes measure in its entirety.)
Steel, J. L., Dunlavy, A. C., Stillman, J., & Pape, H. C. (2011). Measuring depression and PTSD after trauma: Common scales and checklists. Injury, 42, 288–300. |
Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS)
Domains: | DSM-IV PTSD symptom clusters |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past month) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 49 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Must have related field and course work in the use of assessment instruments or special training in the use of this instrument. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact National Computer Systems (NCS) |
Cost or public domain: | Cost: $15.00 |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: accident/fire, disaster, assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse, major illness Reliability: alpha = .92, test-retest = .83 Validity: sensitivity = .89, specificity = .75 |
Author(s): | Edna B. Foa, Ph.D. |
Contact: | National Computer Systems (NCS) 5605 Green Circle Drive Minnetonka, MN 55343 |
Relevant citations: | Foa, E. (1996). Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale manual. Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems.
Foa, E., Cashman, L., Jaycox, L., & Perry, K. (1997). The validation of a self-report measure of PTSD: The Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS). Psychological Assessment, 9, 445–451. Steel, J. L., Dunlavy, A. C., Stillman, J., & Pape, H. C. (2011). Measuring depression and PTSD after trauma: Common scales and checklists. Injury, 42, 288–300. |
PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview (PSS-I)
Domains: | PTSD single event |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past 2 weeks) |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 20 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Can be administered by a master’s level interviewer after a few hours of training. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Edna B. Foa, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: female sexual assault victims, female assault victims Reliability: alpha = .85, test-retest = .80; validity: sensitivity = .88, specificity = .96 (compared with SCID); Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .48–.80 (with Impact of Events intrusion and avoidance, State portion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and MPSS-SR) |
Author(s): | Edna B. Foa and Gregory A. Leskin |
Contact: | Edna B. Foa, Ph.D. Medical College of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry 3200 Henry Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19129-1137 |
Relevant citations: | Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S., Dancu, C. V., & Rothbaum, B. O. (1993). Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post- traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 6, 459–474.
Foa, E. & Tolin, D. F. (2005). Comparison of the PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview Version and the clinician administered PTSD Scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 13, 181–191. Leskin, G. A. (1999). Screening for trauma and PTSD in a primary care clinic. NC-PTSD Clinical Quarterly, 8, 68–69. |
PTSD Symptom Scale: Self-Report Version (MPSS-SR)
Domains: | PTSD for multiple or unknown events |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past 2 weeks) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact Sherry Falsetti, Ph.D. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Sherry Falsetti, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Reliability: alpha = .96–.97 Validity: sensitivity = .89, specificity = .65 |
Author(s): | Sherry Falsetti, Patricia A. Resick, Heidi S. Resnick, Dean G. Kilpatrick |
Contact: | Sherry Falsetti, Ph.D. University of Illinois College of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine 1601 Parkview Avenue Rockford, IL 61107-1897 |
Relevant citations: | Bonin, M. F., Norton, G. R., Asmundson, G. J., Dicurzio, S., & Pidlubney, S. (2000). Drinking away the hurt: The nature and prevalence of PTSD in substance abuse patients attending a community-based treatment program. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 31, 55–66.
Coffey, S. F., Dansky, B. S., Falsetti, S. A., Saladin, M. E., & Brady, K. T. (1998). Screening for PTSD in a substance abuse sample: Psychometric properties of a modified version of the PTSD Symptom Scale Self-Report. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 11, 393–399. Falsetti, S. A., Resnick, H. S., Resick, P. A., & Kilpatrick, D. (1993). The Modified PTSD Symptom Scale: A brief self-report measure of post-traumatic stress disorder. The Behavioral Therapist, 16, 161–162. |
Screen for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (SPTSS)
Domains: | PTSD for multiple or unknown events |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past 2 weeks) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 5 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact Eve Carlson, Ph.D. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Eve Carlson, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: psychiatric inpatients Reliability: split half reliability = .91, test-retest = .82 |
Author(s): | Eve Carlson, Ph.D. |
Contact: | Eve Carlson, Ph.D. National Center for PTSD (352-117-MP) Palo Alto Health Care System 795 Willow Road Menlo Park, CA 94025 |
Relevant citations: | Carlson, E. (2001). Psychometric study of a brief screen for PTSD: Assessing the impact of multiple traumatic events. Assessment, 8, 431–441. |
Structured Interview for PTSD (SI-PTSD)
Domains: | PTSD single event |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (past 4 weeks) |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 20–30 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Can be administered by mental health professionals or by paraprofessionals after some training. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Jonathan Davidson, M.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: veterans Reliability: alpha = .94, test-retest = .71, intraclass r = .97 Validity: sensitivity = .96, specificity = .80 (compared with SCID), Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .61 (with IES), Pearson’s r reliability coefficient = .51 (with Hamilton Anxiety Scale) |
Author(s): | Jonathan Davidson |
Contact: | Jonathan Davidson, M.D. Department of Psychiatry Box 3812 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710-3812 |
Relevant citations: | Davidson, J. R. T., Kudler, H. S., & Smith, R. D. (1990). Assessment and pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder. In J. E. L. Giller (Ed.), Biological assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (pp. 205–221). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. (Includes measure in its entirety.)
Steel, J. L., Dunlavy, A. C., Stillman, J., & Pape, H. C. (2011). Measuring depression and PTSD after trauma: Common scales and checklists. Injury, 42, 288–300. |
Trauma Assessment for Adults (TAA)
Domains: | Trauma history |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Lifetime |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 13 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | None specified |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Heidi Resnick, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: adult mental health center clients; face validity established; feasible; validity established via archival records |
Author(s): | Connie L. Best, John R. Freedy, Sherry A. Falsetti, Dean G. Kilpatrick, Heidi S. Resnick |
Relevant citations: | Cusack, K. J., Frueh, B. C., & Brady, K. T. (2004). Trauma history screening in a community mental health center. Psychiatric Services, 55, 157–162.
Resnick, H. S. (1996). Psychometric review of Trauma Assessment for Adults (TAA). In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 362–365). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press. |
Trauma Assessment for Adults (TAA)–Self Report
Domains: | Trauma history |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Lifetime |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 17 |
Completion time: | 10–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | None specified |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Heidi Resnick, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | None to date |
Author(s): | Connie L. Best, John R. Freedy, Sherry A. Falsetti, Dean G. Kilpatrick, Heidi S. Resnick |
Relevant citations: | Resnick, H. S., Falsetti, S. A., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Freedy, J. R. (1996). Assessment of rape and other civilian trauma-related post-traumatic stress disorder: Emphasis on assessment of potentially traumatic events. In T. W. Miller (Ed.), Stressful life events (pp. 231–266). Madison, WI: International Universities Press. |
Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ)
Domains: | Trauma history |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Lifetime |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 24 |
Completion time: | 5–15 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Contact Bonnie L. Green, Ph.D. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Bonnie L. Green, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Populations sampled: psychiatric outpatients, college students, women with breast cancer Reliability: r = 0.7–0.9, intraclass = .76 |
Author(s): | Bonnie L. Green |
Relevant citations: | Hooper, L., Stockton, P., Krupnick, J., & Green, B., (2011). Development, use, and psychometric properties of the Trauma History Questionnaire. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 16, 258–283.
Muesser, K. T., Salyers, M. P., Rosenberg, S. D., Ford, J. D., Fox, L., & Carty, P. (2001). Psychometric evaluation of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder assessments in persons with severe mental illness. Psychological Assessment, 13, 110–117. Norris, F. H. & Hamblen, J. L. (2004). Standardized self-report measures of civilian trauma and PTSD. In J. P. Wilson, T. M. Keane & T. Martin (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 63–102). New York: Guilford Press. |
Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI)
Domains: | Trauma-related symptoms |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (last 6 months) |
Response format: | Self-administered |
Format of administration: | Structured |
Number of items: | 100 |
Completion time: | 20 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Must have related field and courses in the use of assessment instruments or special training in the use of this instrument. |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Psychological Assessment Resources |
Cost or public domain: | Cost: $15.00 |
Psychometrics: | Population sampled: general population Reliability: alpha = .84–.87 |
Author(s): | John Briere |
Contact: | Psychological Assessment Resources Box 998 Odessa, FL 33556 |
Relevant citations: | Briere, J. (1996). Psychometric review of Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI). In B. H. Stamm (Ed.), Measurement of stress, trauma, and adaptation (pp. 381–383). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.
Briere, J. (1995). Trauma Symptom Inventory professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources. Orsillo, S. M. (2001). Measures for acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. In M. M. Antony & S. M. Orsillo (Eds.), Practitioner’s guide to empirically based measures of anxiety (pp. 255–307). New York: KluwerAcademic/Plenum. |
Traumatic Stress Schedule
Domains: | Trauma history |
---|---|
Timeframe: | Current (but author suggests any period) |
Response format: | Other |
Format of administration: | Semi-structured |
Number of items: | 10 (with 12 probes) |
Completion time: | 5–30 minutes |
Qualifications to administer: | Can be administered by lay interviewer with training |
How to obtain scale: | Contact Fran Norris, Ph.D. |
Cost or public domain: | Public domain |
Psychometrics: | Reliability: test-retest = .88, frequency of events equal to National Women’s Study PTSD Module |
Author(s): | Fran Norris |
Relevant citations: | Norris, F. H. (1990). Screening for traumatic stress: A scale of use in the general population. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 1704–1718. (Includes measure in its entirety.)
Norris, F. H. & Hamblen, J. L. (2004). Standardized self-report measures of civilian trauma and PTSD. In J. P. Wilson, T. M. Keane & T. Martin (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 63–102). New York: Guilford Press. |