Topic 4 Screening and Assessment Measures for PTSD and Trauma

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Grand Canyon University *

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Apr 30, 2024

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Screening and Assessment Measures for PTSD and Trauma Stephanie Marcos College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University BHS-470-O500: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care Lara Scott April 7, 2024 1

Screening and Assessment Measures for PTSD and Trauma Traumatic experiences are nearly unavoidable in life. As many as eighty-five to ninety percent of adults experience three to four traumatic events in their lifetime (Resick, 2024). Children are not immune to traumatic events. According to a 2011 survey, as many as forty-five percent of American children have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (Sacks & Murphey, 2018). The ramification of these stark numbers is that there are children and adults walking through life battling the emotional and psychological aftereffects of their trauma experiences. As they seek help from behavioral health professionals, the importance of assessments and screenings becomes evident. There are many assessment tools to choose from, so it is important that the behavioral health professional chooses the most appropriate tool for each client. This paper will give a brief overview of three screening assessment tools for adults and three screening assessment tools for children, give a more in depth and detailed analysis of one assessment tool for children and one assessment tool for adults explaining the reasoning behind the choice and what kind of steps and considerations must be taken with each. Three Screening and Assessment Tools for Children Children are part of an incredibly vulnerable population. When they are victimized or exposed to traumatic experiences, they struggle to adequately express their feelings. This is why it is so important to utilize the appropriate screening and assessment tool when dealing with children and adolescents. The Child PTSD Symptom Scale—Interview Version (CPSS-5 IV) is a semi-structured interview with twenty-seven items assessing symptoms severity over the last month. This tool takes approximately thirty minutes to administer. There is a self-reporting version that is similar and assesses the same symptoms but only takes five to ten minutes to complete (Foa, et al., 2018). The Acute Stress Checklist for Children (ASC-Kids) assesses 2

children and adolescents ages eight to seventeen for acute traumatic stress reactions within one month of being exposed to a traumatic experience. It has twenty-nine items that all pertain directly to the diagnostic criteria and symptoms related to acute stress disorder ( ISTSS - Acute Stress Checklist for Children , n.d.). The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) is an assessment tool that looks for the existence of traumatic experiences and the presence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress. There are several versions – one is intended to be a self- reporting tool designed for ages seven to seventeen, two others are designed to be answered by caregivers for young children ages three to six and another for ages seven to seventeen. The CATS is widely available in multiple languages and gives parameters for clinically relevant symptomology ( ISSTS - Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening , n.d.). The Child PTSD Symptom Scale The Child PTSD Symptom Scale is a strong assessment tool for use in children and adolescents. The assessment has been proven to be an accurate and reliable tool that can be administered successfully by mental healthcare professionals of varying experience levels. There is also a self-reporting version of this assessment that is useful for children and adolescents who can read and are able to respond to the twenty-seven items. The tool can be used to either diagnose PTSD in youth or track symptom improvement throughout treatment. It also assesses the level of functional impairment which is not assessed with other tools. Additionally, there is a short six item tool that can be used in primary care settings to accurately identify individuals in need of mental healthcare services (Foa, et al., 2018). Three Screening and Assessment Tools for Adults When assessing adults for trauma, there is a plethora of assessment tools to choose from. Opting for the most appropriate tool is vital to the successful identification of the presence of 3

PTSD. One of the front-line PTSD assessments in use is the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5. This was designed to be used in the primary care setting. There are only five items on this initial screener making it quick and easy to administer in the primary care setting ( ISTSS - Post Trauma Risky Behaviors Questionnaire , n.d.). Another screening for adults is the Post Trauma Risky Behaviors Questionnaire. This questionnaire assesses the degree to which the patient has been engaging in careless and dangerous behaviors over the last month as well as the rate of functional impairment. It is intended for use in adults over eighteen with sixteen items and takes approximately five to ten minutes to complete ( ISTSS - Post Trauma Risky Behaviors Questionnaire , n.d.). The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) is the go-to PTSD assessment tool. It is based on the DSM-5 and must be administered by specially trained clinicians. It is administered in a structured interview setting and takes roughly forty-five to sixty minutes to conduct. When complete, it can be used to give a definitive diagnosis of PTSD ( ISTSS - Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) , n.d.). Clinician Administered PTSD Scale The most widely used and thorough adult assessment of the presence of PTSD. It can be used for the current or lifetime diagnosis of PTSD as well as assess the severity of symptoms over the last week as well as the impact symptoms have on the individual’s social and occupational functioning. This tool is meant to be administered by qualified behavioral health professionals who have been specifically trained in the administration of the CAPS-5. Each item on the assessment must be given a severity score from zero to four with zero being not present and four being extremely incapacitating. These scores are added up in each area of the assessment criterion and then a score can be assigned. Multiple versions of this assessment exist 4

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