Adaptation of the Spanish-Version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) as an Informant-Based Instrument

Abstract

Background

There is a lot of disparity between prevalence rates of child maltreatment from informant studies and from studies using self-report measures. However, there is not an instrument that can be completed by both the child/adolescent and a clinician. The aim of this study is to adapt the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) to be completed by professional workers, so as to provide with one instrument that can be applied to both self and informant-based sources of report in order to study the effect of the source of report on the prevalence rates of child maltreatment.

Methods

A sample of 273 professionals provided evidence about 635 children/adolescents. Professionals assessed child maltreatment with the adapted version of the CTQ-SF and with the Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Parental Scale (ACRAM-PS). We tested factor structure using frequentist and Bayesian Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA). Reliability was estimated using Composite Reliability Index. Discriminant and convergent validity were assessed using the ACRAM-PS as a criterion.

Results

Bayesian CFA with near-zero priors found a very good five-factor solution and the estimates of reliability were adequate for all dimensions. We also found support for the convergent validity of the adapted CTQ-SF with the dimensions of the ACRAM-PS.

Conclusions

Psychometric properties of the adapted CTQ-SF are equivalent to those found in previous psychometric studies of the original CTQ-SF. Therefore, both instruments could be used simultaneously to explore the prevalence of abuse and neglect.

Keywords:

• Child maltreatment
• abuse
• neglect
• validity
• reliability
• Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by “Cátedra Luis Amigó para la promoción de niños, niñas, adolescentes y jóvenes” [Ref. OTR2009_07233 CATED_CC32232].