Child and Family Translational Research Center, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA.
Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, Nebraska, USA.
J Trauma Stress. 2019 Oct;32(5):753-763. doi: 10.1002/jts.22442. Epub 2019 Aug 23.
Trauma screening is an important element for providing trauma-informed services to youth in residential care. Unfortunately, lack of time and resources may deter clinicians from conducting trauma screening at intake. This study tested the psychometric properties of the Brief Trauma Symptom Screen for Youth (BTSSY), which could be used during intake into residential care. Participants included 572 youth, ages 10-18 years (M = 14.28 years, SD = 2.31), of whom 58.9% were boys, 78.7% were Caucasian, 51.7% were youth receiving services in residential care, 15.6% were youth with clinical needs, and 32.7% were typically developing youth from the local community. Participants completed the BTSSY; other questionnaires of psychopathology, childhood maltreatment, and symptomology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and diagnostic interviews, which were conducted by licensed psychiatrists. The total BTSSY score had a good composite reliability (CR) of .80 and was valid based on a significant positive correlation, r = .64, with the UCLA PTSD-Reaction Index. The BTSSY score was also fair, area under the curve = .75, at detecting a diagnosis of PTSD from a psychiatrist. Significant group differences in the BTSSY scores were found between youth with a diagnosis of PTSD and the other two groups, with moderate-to-large effect sizes, ds = 0.73-1.22. Preliminary results indicated the BTSSY may be a useful screening tool for identifying youth at residential care intake who may need additional assessment for PTSD. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
创伤筛查是为住宿照顾中的青少年提供创伤知情服务的重要组成部分。不幸的是，缺乏时间和资源可能会阻止临床医生在入住时进行创伤筛查。本研究测试了青少年Brief 创伤症状筛查（BTSSY）的心理测量特性，该筛查可在入住住宿照顾时使用。参与者包括 572 名 10-18 岁的青少年（M = 14.28 岁，SD = 2.31），其中 58.9%是男孩，78.7%是白种人，51.7%是在住宿照顾中接受服务的青少年，15.6%是有临床需求的青少年，32.7%是来自当地社区的典型发展青少年。参与者完成了 BTSSY；其他问卷包括精神病理学、儿童期虐待和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状；以及由持照精神病医生进行的诊断访谈。BTSSY 的总分具有良好的综合可靠性（CR）为.80，并且基于与 UCLA PTSD 反应指数的显著正相关（r =.64），具有有效性。BTSSY 得分也很好，曲线下面积（AUC）为.75，可用于从精神病医生处诊断 PTSD。在 BTSSY 得分方面，患有 PTSD 的青少年与其他两组之间存在显著的组间差异，效应大小为中等至较大，ds = 0.73-1.22。初步结果表明，BTSSY 可能是一种有用的筛查工具，可用于识别在住宿照顾入住时可能需要对 PTSD 进行进一步评估的青少年。讨论了限制和对未来研究和实践的影响。
