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Development and Preliminary Validation of the University of Minnesota’s Traumatic Stress Screen for Children and Adolescents (TSSCA)

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Abstract

Child and adolescent exposure to potential trauma experiences is pervasive. Given the prevalence, deleterious mental and physical effects, and economic cost of trauma exposure, child- and family-service systems are adopting trauma-informed approaches, including practices like trauma screening. Although a number of trauma-focused screening and assessment measures exist for youth, the majority are lengthy and inappropriate for universal administration. This study describes the development and preliminary validation of the Traumatic Stress Screen for Children and Adolescents (TSSCA), a six-item screening measure for trauma exposure and traumatic stress symptoms. Using two samples of youth presenting at community practice settings (n1 = 134, n2 = 137), reliability, discriminative validity, and criterion-related validity were calculated for the TSSCA. Results support the TSSCA as an empirically derived, reliable, and valid screening measure for exposure to trauma and symptoms of traumatic stress for youth ages 7 to 18.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Susanne Lee for her assistance with the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Katelyn Donisch PhD, MSPH

  2. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Yanchen Zhang PhD & Sophia Frank MA

  3. Wilder Research, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation , St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    Chris Bray PhD, MA, LP

  4. Institute for Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Abigail H. Gewirtz PhD, LP

  5. Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Abigail H. Gewirtz PhD, LP

  6. Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Abigail H. Gewirtz PhD, LP

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  1. Katelyn Donisch PhD, MSPH
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Correspondence to Katelyn Donisch PhD, MSPH.

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Donisch, K., Zhang, Y., Bray, C. et al. Development and Preliminary Validation of the University of Minnesota’s Traumatic Stress Screen for Children and Adolescents (TSSCA). J Behav Health Serv Res 48, 50–62 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-020-09725-1

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