Brief assessment of children’s post-traumatic symptoms: Development and preliminary validation of parent and child scales
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Citation: Greenwald, R., & Rubin, A. (1999). Brief assessment of children’s post-traumatic symptoms: Development and preliminary validation of parent and child scales. Research on Social Work Practice, 9,61-75.
Abstract
We report on the development and initial validation of two brief measures of children’s post-traumatic symptoms: a child self-report and a parent report. Intended applications include post-disaster screening, tracking children’s recovery in research and clinical settings, and screening for post-traumatic stress among children with various presenting problems. A sample of 206 urban and rural school children, grades 3-8, and their parents, completed these measures as well as a checklist of the child’s trauma/loss history. Findings provide preliminary support for the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, and criterion validity of each measure. We recommend cautious use of the measures, and suggest additional avenues of study.