Trauma History Screen (THS)

Abstract

The Trauma History Screen (THS) is a brief, 14-item instrument developed by Carlson et al. (2011) designed for the preliminary assessment of exposure to potentially distressing events. Utilizing a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ dichotomous response format, the THS measures two primary constructs: High Magnitude Stressor Events (HMS) and events related to Persisting Posttraumatic Distress (PDD). It serves as a rapid, cost-effective screening tool for clinicians, informing therapeutic conceptualisation by assessing both the occurrence of the event and the level and duration of subjective distress experienced by the individual.

Keywords

Trauma History Screen, THS, Trauma Exposure, Screening Tool, Posttraumatic Distress, High Magnitude Stressor, Psychological Assessment, Self-Report.

Authors

Carlson, E. B., Smith, S. R., Palmieri, P. A., Dalenberg, C., Ruzek, J. I., Kimerling, R., Burling, T. A., Spain, D. A.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the THS is to provide a rapid, initial screening of an individual’s lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic or highly distressing events. It was specifically developed to meet the need for a brief, simple, and easy-to-read tool, requiring only a fifth-grade reading level, which ensures high accessibility across diverse populations and clinical settings.

The THS is intended to facilitate clinical decision-making by quickly identifying individuals who may require a more comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. As a preliminary assessment, the THS does not provide a formal diagnostic score or cut-off procedure; instead, it provides essential data on the presence, duration, and level of distress associated with reported events, significantly aiding in therapeutic conceptualisation and case formulation.

Construct

The THS is designed to measure exposure to distressful events across two distinct psychological constructs. The first is High Magnitude Stressor Events (HMS), which refers to sudden, global stressors generally known to elicit a distress response in the majority of exposed individuals. Examples of HMS events include large-scale events such as hurricanes or earthquakes.

The second construct measured is Persisting Posttraumatic Distress (PDD) events. These events are characterized by their association with significant subjective distress that persists for longer than one month. PDD events often involve highly personal stressors, such as abandonment by a spouse. In addition to event occurrence, the THS assesses the individual’s subjective experiences, specifically the duration and severity level of the resulting distress, providing a nuanced view of the impact of the trauma exposure.

Validity

The validity of the THS has been established primarily through concurrent validation studies comparing its results against established, longer measures of traumatic exposure. The THS demonstrated strong concurrent validity across varied samples, confirming its ability to capture trauma exposure accurately despite its brevity.

Specifically, the THS was found to be highly correlated with the more lengthy Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ). Significant correlation coefficients were reported, including r = .77 among veteran populations and r = .73 among young adult samples. These findings support the use of the THS as an efficient and valid proxy for more exhaustive instruments in measuring exposure to traumatic life events.

Reliability

The reliability of the THS has been assessed using test-retest correlations across varied time intervals and diverse populations. Studies included four distinct groups: home veterans, clinical samples, general community members, and university students.

The stability of the measure was found to be robust. Test-retest correlations, assessed over two periods ranging from one week to two months, demonstrated results spanning from moderate to very high, specifically ranging from .61 to .95. These findings confirm the measure’s consistency and suggest that the THS provides reliable measurement of trauma exposure over time, making it a dependable screening tool.

Factor Analysis

While explicit details regarding formal exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA) are not provided in the original summary, the scale is structurally designed around two hypothesized dimensions of trauma exposure.

These dimensions reflect the conceptual distinction between High Magnitude Stressor Events (HMS) and events leading to Persisting Posttraumatic Distress (PDD). The 14 items are intended to capture these two distinct, yet related, underlying factors, providing a structured approach to trauma screening.

Instrument

Test Type: Screening Tool; Self-Report Measure of Trauma Exposure.

Format: 14 dichotomous items (‘Yes’ or ‘No’).

Language Available: English (original development). The structure of the THS is noted as replicable for cross-cultural adaptation to reflect culturally appropriate items, although it has not yet been formally validated cross-culturally.

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations, including veterans, community members, and university students.

Age Group: Not explicitly specified, but validated samples include young adults and adults (veterans).

Population Details: Tested across four primary samples: home veterans, clinical samples, community samples, and university students.

Test Methodology: Brief, easy-to-read inventory requiring only a fifth-grade reading level. It requires a short amount of time to administer and is available at no cost.

Keywords

Screening, Assessment, PDD, HMS, Distress Level, Brief Measure, Psychological Trauma, Clinical Utility.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not available.

Correspondence Address: Not available.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Trauma History Screen was developed and published in 2011 by Carlson et al. The scale is noted as being available at no cost, which significantly enhances its utility for clinical and research settings with budget constraints.

A version of the scale (dated 2005) is available from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. Specific formal permissions for use should be directed toward the primary author, E.B. Carlson, or the publisher of the original validation article in Psychological Assessment.

Reference’s

• Carlson, E.B., Smith, S. R., Palmieri, P. A., Dalenberg, C., Ruzek, J. I., Kimerling, R., Burling, T. A., Spain, D. A. (2011). Development and validation of a brief self-report measure of trauma exposure: the Trauma History Screen. Psychological Assessment, 23, 463–477.
• Jaber, S. (2012). Developing a self-help guide for traumatised university students in Iraq. UK: University of Nottingham, PhD thesis. The Trauma History Screen (2005). The instrument is available from the VA website: http://www.ptsd.va.gov

Items of the Trauma History Screen (THS)

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

The specific 14 items comprising the Trauma History Screen (THS) were not provided in the source content.