Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form
CTQ-SFChildhood Maltreatment
28 items
2003
α 0.61–0.92 (varies by subscale)
License required
Bernstein, D.P., Stein, J.A., Newcomb, M.D., Walker, E., Pogge, D., Ahluvalia, T., et al.
Clinical safeguarding note: (R)=reverse-scored. Each subscale has established cut-offs for minimal, low, moderate, and severe maltreatment. Requires licence from NCS Pearson. Contains highly sensitive items — ensure appropriate safeguarding, debriefing, and follow-up resources are in place before administering.
What it measures
A brief retrospective self-report measure of five types of childhood maltreatment. Includes a 3-item validity (minimisation/denial) subscale to detect underreporting. Widely used in clinical and epidemiological research on adverse childhood experiences.
Response format
Likert (1–5, never true to very often true)
Representative items
- People in my family said hurtful or insulting things to me. (Emotional Abuse)
- I was punished with a belt, a board, a cord, or some other hard object. (Physical Abuse)
- Someone tried to touch me in a sexual way, or tried to make me touch them. (Sexual Abuse)
- I felt that no one in my family loved me or thought I was important. (Emotional Neglect)
- There was someone to take care of me and protect me. (R, Physical Neglect)
This is a licensed instrument — representative items are shown for reference only. Obtain the original scale materials from the publisher before use in research.
Recommended companion scales
PCL-5PHQ-9BDI-II
Citation
Bernstein, D.P., et al. (2003). Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 15(2), 263–274.
Keywords
#childhoodtrauma#maltreatment#abuse#neglect#adversechildhoodexperiences#ACEs