Validation of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) in Spanish adolescents.

BACKGROUND

One of the most frequently used instruments to assess posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents is the Child PTSD Symptom Scale. However, there has been limited evaluation of its construct validity in the Spanish language despite Spanish being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.

OBJECTIVE

To provide data on the psychometric properties of the CPSS in a sample of Spanish adolescents, to establish the internal consistency of the measure, and to examine its criterion validity.

METHOD

The participants were 339 adolescents (172 boys and 167 girls, mean age 13.95) exposed to peer violence during the previous year.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a good fit to the four-factor dysphoria model. The alpha reliabilities for the overall measure and its subscales were suitable.

DISCUSSION

The Spanish version of the scale has sound psychometric properties with good reliability and validity. Moreover, it integrates the four-factor structure corresponding to the dimensions of PTSD described in the DSM-V.