Concepedia

Trauma Symptom Inventory

John Briere, Diana M. Elliott, Kathryn Harris, ANN COTMAN

Journal of Interpersonal Violence · 1995 · 351 citations · 30 references

TL;DR

The study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 100‑item Trauma Symptom Inventory in a diverse sample of 370 psychiatric inpatients and outpatient psychotherapy clients. The authors assessed the TSI’s reliability and validity by administering it to these participants and analyzing internal consistency and scale structure. The TSI showed strong internal consistency (α = .74–.90, mean .87), and higher scores were associated with a history of interpersonal trauma; regression analyses identified client age, sex, inpatient/outpatient status, and specific abuse histories as unique predictors, with sex interactions elevating depression and intrusive experiences in women and sexual concerns in men.

Abstract

This article examines psychometric characteristics of the 100-item Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) in a sample of 370 psychiatric inpatients and psychotherapy outpatient men and women. The 10 clinical scales of the TSI had a mean α of .87, with αs ranging from .74 for Tension Reduction Behavior to .90 for both Depression and Intrusive Experiences. A self-reported history of interpersonal trauma (in child- or adulthood) was associated with elevations on all TSI scales relative to those not reporting victimization. Post hoc multiple regression analyses indicated that client age, sex, inpatient versus outpatient status, childhood sexual and physical abuse, and adult sexual assault were unique predictors of various TSI raw scale scores. Sex interacted with other predictors in several instances; women with sexual- or physical-assault histories scored higher on Depression and Intrusive Experiences, and men battered in a relationship scored higher on Sexual Concerns and Dysfunctional Sexual Behavior.