The TSC-40 is a 40-item self-report measure of symptomatic
distress in adults arising from childhood or adult traumatic
experiences. It measures aspects of posttraumatic stress as well as
other symptoms found in some traumatized individuals. Respondents
are asked to rate how often they have experienced each symptom in
the last 2 months using a 4-point frequency rating scale ranging
from 0 (“never”) to 3 (“often”). In
addition to yielding a total score (ranging from 0 to 120), the
TSC-40 has 6 subscales: Anxiety, Depression, Dissociation, Sexual
Abuse Trauma Index, Sexual Problems, and Sleep Disturbances.
According to the authors, this measure is intended exclusively for
research purposes.
Sample Item
How often have you experienced each of the following items in
the past two months?
“Feeling isolated from others”
0 = never to 3 = Often
Versions
The TSC-33 is an earlier version that does not contain the
Sexual Problems and Sleep Disturbances subscales.
References
Elliot, D. M. & Briere, J. (1992). Sexual abuse trauma
among professional women: Validating the Trauma Symptom Checklist
– 40 (TSC-40). Child Abuse & Neglect, 16, 391-398.
Briere, J. N., & Runtz, M. G. (1989). The Trauma Symptom
Checklist (TSC-33): early data on a new scale. Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, 4, 151-163.
Norris, Fran H. & Hamblen, Jessica L. (2004). Standardized self-report measures of civilian trauma and PTSD. In J.P. Wilson, T.M. Keane & T. Martin (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 63-102). New York: Guilford Press. PILOTS ID 18638
