Development of a trauma screening instrument for children and adolescents.

It has been increasingly recognized that children may show posttraumatic stress symptoms after exposure to a traumatic event. Between 10 to 35% of these children develop a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, comorbid disorders like depression, other anxiety disorders and behavioural disorders are frequently seen. In the majority of the children, PTSD and other trauma related disorders remain unrecognized. Without treatment these disorders can persist for years and have a highly negative impact on child development and on its psychosocial functioning.

Institutions in youth welfare that refer trauma victims for specialized trauma treatment need to recognize trauma related disorders. Structured diagnostic interviews are the gold standard to diagnose trauma related disorders, but these instruments are time-consuming and need professional training.

The referring institutions do not have the time nor the knowledge to use these instruments. The purpose of this study is to develop a brief and child-friendly instrument to screen for trauma related symptoms. This instrument can be used in youth welfare for easy referral to specialized trauma centres.

The purpose of this study is to develop a brief and child-friendly trauma screening instrument to identify children with PTSD and other trauma related symptoms.

Measures are taken after the first contact with the specialized trauma centre or Youth Welfare.

1. ADIS-C (child and parent);

2. CRIES-13 (child);

3. TSCC (child) and TSCYC (parent);

4. SDQ (for child, parent and teacher);

5. RCADS (for child and parent).