Teacher Trauma Identification and Management Scale (TTIMS)

Abstract

The Teacher Trauma Identification and Management Scale (TTIMS; Opoku et al., 2025) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess teachers’ self-perceived competence in identifying and managing trauma among children with disabilities enrolled in mainstream schools in Egypt. The TTIMS constitutes the second component of a comprehensive instrument, preceded by a section dedicated to collecting essential demographic information.

The development process adhered strictly to established best practices for instrument creation (DeVellis, 2003; Tay & Jebb, 2017) and is theoretically grounded in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) trauma model (2014). The initial iteration of the scale comprised thirty-three items organized into two distinct domains. Validation efforts, conducted using a sample of inclusive school teachers in Egypt, included expert item analysis to ensure content validity and a pilot test to confirm practical appropriateness.

Initial computations revealed a poor-fit model, necessitating an iterative refinement process. This involved the removal of two items (19 and 20) initially, followed by the subsequent removal of an additional 13 items. The resulting modified scale demonstrated significantly improved overall fit indices. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) ultimately supported a robust two-domain structure, and results pertaining to high internal reliability and configural measurement invariance across different groups were also reported.

Keywords

Disabilities, Identification, Mainstream Education, Teachers, Trauma Management, Trauma-Informed Practice, Psychometrics, Scale Validation, Egypt.

Authors

Opoku, Maxwell Peprah, Mustafa, Ashraf, Abdullah, Enas Mohamed, Alsheikh, Negmeldin, Elhoweris, Hala.

Purpose

The core purpose of the TTIMS is to provide a standardized measure of teachers’ perceived knowledge and self-assessed competence. This measurement specifically targets their ability to identify signs of trauma in students and their capability to successfully implement trauma-informed practices (TIP) within the unique context of mainstream educational environments in Egypt.

Construct

The TTIMS measures the construct of Teacher Perceived Trauma Competence, which is operationalized across two primary domains: Trauma Identification and Trauma Management/Practice. This two-factor structure reflects the necessary components for effective trauma-informed schooling, where both recognizing the signs of trauma and applying appropriate, supportive interventions are essential. The conceptual framework for the scale is based on the comprehensive SAMHSA trauma model.

Validity

While specific data regarding criterion or convergent validity were not provided in the source material, the validation process included key steps to establish structural soundness. Content Validity was established through rigorous expert item analysis during the initial development phases. Furthermore, the successful outcome of the final Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) strongly supports the structural validity of the two-domain model, confirming that the scale accurately measures the intended constructs of identification and management.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the TTIMS was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The results indicate strong internal consistency across the scale and its sub-domains.

• The Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was reported as 0.92.

• The alpha value for the Identification domain was 0.85.

• The alpha value for the Practice domain was 0.88.

These values exceed the commonly accepted threshold of 0.70, confirming the TTIMS possesses good to excellent internal reliability.

Factor Analysis

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was employed to test the underlying factor structure. The initial 33-item model demonstrated a poor fit to the data, evidenced by indices such as chi-square = 3.34 (CMIN = 1648.31, df = 494), CFI = 0.79, TLI = 0.78, RMSEA = 0.09, and SRMR = 0.06. Items 19 and 20 were initially removed due to insufficient threshold loadings (< 0.05).

Through iterative modification and removal of a total of 15 items, the model fit improved substantially. The final, refined factor structure achieved satisfactory indices: chi-square = 2.38 (CMIN = 318.76, df = 134), CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07, and SRMR = 0.05.

Furthermore, configural measurement invariance was successfully assessed. This analysis confirmed that the two-factor structure of the TTIMS was consistent (invariant) across different gender groups, specifically male and female teachers, lending support to the generalizability of the scale’s structure within the target population.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: The TTIMS utilizes a five-point Likert scale format, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Scoring involves calculating the mean score of the items, where a score of 4 or higher indicates a high level of perceived competence in trauma identification and management.

Language Available: Arabic and English

Population Group: Both male and female teachers.

Age Group: Adults (18 years and older).

Population Details: The scale was validated using teachers from inclusive schools in Egypt.

Test Methodology: The methodology included assessments of test reliability (internal consistency), factor analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and measurement invariance testing.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Internal Consistency, Cronbach’s alpha, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Measurement Invariance, Trauma Identification, Education, Egypt.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Opoku, Maxwell Peprah: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7620-0007

Affiliation Email addresses: Opoku, Maxwell Peprah: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Opoku, Maxwell Peprah: United Arab Emirates University, College of Education, Special Education Department, P. O. Box 15551, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Fee: No

Test Year: 2025

Reference’s

Opoku, M. P., Mustafa, A., Abdullah, E. M., Alsheikh, N., & Elhoweris, H. (2025). Building trauma informed schools in non-western contexts: Teachers’ perceived competence in identification and trauma-informed practices in schools. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 35(1), 108–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2024.2330454

Items of the the Teacher Trauma Identification and Management Scale (TTIMS)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

No data is Available