Assessments

A family therapist fills out a survey while observing a family.

This page provides scales and assessment tools that clinicians can use to screen for trauma. The following instruments were compiled by researchers to assess for trauma and related symptomology in children and their caregivers. Underneath each instrument's name is the age range of children/adults if applicable, a brief description of its use, information on how to access it (see the bolded click here markers for the instrument URL), any associated costs, and basic citation information. 

Instruments are labeled alphabetically within five sections: Child/Adolescent Self-Report, Parent/Caregiver Self-Report, Parent/Caregiver Report for Children, Clinician Observation for Families, and Additional Resources. We suggest researching the citations for more information on validity and reliability. 

The interventions on this page align with the resources found on the MACT (Multi-Dimensional Assessment for Complex Trauma) developed by the Guiding Stars Project of the NCTSN (National Child Traumatic Stress Network). For more information about the MACT, contact Richard Kagan, PhD at richardkagan7@gmail.com.

This page was updated as of November 2024. If any information is not up to date/ accessible, please contact: Theo Reinert at treinert@umaryland.edu.

Click to learn more.

Child/Adolescent Self-Report

Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3)

1 month- 5 ½ years old

10-15 minute questionnaire assessing development in five domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social skills. 

Access: Brooks Publishing. Click here then scroll down to see all purchasing and downloading options. 

Cost: $295.00 for full kit, $240.00 for questionnaire

Squires, Bricker, 2009.

Behavior Assessment System for Children - Third Edition Self-Report of Personality (BASC-3 SRP)

2-21 years and 11 months old

30 minute norm-referenced scales assessing children's behavior patterns and the thoughts and feelings behind them.

Available in Spanish.

Access: Pearson Assessment. Click here, then scroll down to see purchasing options.

Cost: $153.30 p/ starter kit, $428.40 p/ complete kit, $140.00 p/ print manual, $55.70 for interview record forms (pkg/25)

Kamphaus, Reynolds, Vannest, 2015.

CANS-Trauma

0-18 years old

110-item survey assessing for exposure to potentially traumatic experiences and trauma symptomology. Takes 15-45 minutes, can be used prospectively or retrospectively.

Access: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Click here.

Cost: Free

Kisiel, Lyons, Blaustein, Fehrenbach, Griffin, Germain, Saxe, Ellis, 2011.

Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-5

8-18 years old

A 27-item semi-structured interview designed to measure posttraumatic stress in the past month. 

Available in English, Hebrew, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish. 

Access: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Click here, scroll down to “Access”, then click on the blue URL to open and download the form.  

Cost: Free

Foa, Asnaani, Zang, Capaldi, 2017. 

Child Trauma Screen (CTS)

6-17 years old

10-item questionnaire measuring trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms consistent with the DSM-5. 

Access: Child Health and Development Institute.  Click here, scroll past validation section, click on the purple button, “Download Child Trauma Screen,” then complete survey to receive the form.  

Cost: Free

Lang, Connell, 2017. 

Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children (CAPS-CA-5)

7 years and older

A 30-item scale assessing for 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms. Questions also ask when/ how long symptoms are occurring, impact on development and social functioning, specifications for dissociative subtypes (depersonalization and derealization), and more.

Access: National Center for PTSD. Click here then fill out a brief form to receive the assessment.

Cost: Free

Nader et al., 1994.

Developmental Trauma Disorder Structured Interview for Children

0-18 years old 

Assesses early life traumatization and attachment disruption. Uses 5 criteria for children: interpersonal trauma, affective/physiological dysregulation, cognitive/behavioral dysregulation, and self/relational dysregulation.

Access: The Foundation Trust. Click here, click on Category #2, then select applicable PDF. 

Cost: Free

Ford, Spinazzola, The Developmental Trauma Disorder Work Group 2023. 

Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma (ITCT) Tools

5-24 years old 

Collection of resources made by ITCT. Includes Initial Trauma Review, Self-injury Behaviors and Functions Review (SBFR), and ITCT-A Symptom Scan (ISS) to assess for exposure to harmful events/ assault, trauma symptomology, and self-harming behaviors.

Access: Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma. Click here, scroll down, then locate “Assessments” on the left hand side for specific instruments. 

Cost: Free

Lanktree, Briere, 2016.

Juvenile Inventory For Functioning (JIFF)

7 years and older

Self- administered computerized interview designed for youth referred to juvenile justice, child welfare and school counseling. Survey is at the 2nd- 3rd grade reading level and covers 10 areas of functioning: At School/ At Your Job, At Home, Family Life, Your Friends, Your Neighborhood, Your Feelings, Dealing With Bad Feelings, Alcohol & Drugs, Thinking, and Your Health.

Available in Spanish.

Access: Functional Assessment Systems (FAS). Click here for the instrument overview; contact customerservice@mhs.com for pricing details and to purchase software.

Cost: Paid, fixed yearly maintenance fee and a nominal fee for each assessment used; exact cost unknown

Hodges, 2007.

Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia – Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-P/L)

6-18 years old

A semi-structured interview that measures current and past symptoms of mood, anxiety, psychotic, and disruptive behavior. 5 supplemental scales include: Depressive/ Bipolar Related Disorders, Schizophrenia Spectrum/ Other Psychotic Disorders, Anxiety/ Obsessive Compulsive/ Trauma-Related Disorders,

Neurodevelopmental/ Disruptive/ Conduct Disorders, and Eating Disorders/Substance-Related Disorders.

Available in Spanish.

Access: UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital,  Child & Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services. Click here, scroll down to "K-SADS PL DSM-5", then select the dark blue accordion to see all files.

Cost: Free for non-profit organizations or IRB approved researchers. All other groups should contact Dr. Joan Kaufman at joan.kaufman@ksads-comp.com for more information

Kaufman, Birmaher, Brent, Rao, Ryan, 1995.

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

11-17 years old

25-items on 5 subscales: Emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationships problem, and prosocial behavior. Takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Available in 80+ languages.

Access: Youth In Mind. Click here for the American English version, select "One-sided self-rated SDQ for 11-17 year olds" under single-sided versions for download. Other languages can be accessed by clicking "Questionnaires etc. View & Download" at the top.

Cost: Free

Goodman, 2005.

Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC)

6-18 years old

10-15 minute long scale with 54 items that covers the following domains: Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Dissociation, Fantasies, and Sexual Concerns. Can be used for inpiduals and groups.

Available in Spanish. 

Access: PAR.  Click here then scroll down to see all purchasing and download options. 

Cost: $354.00 for introductory kit, $132.00 for test booklet

Briere, 1996.

Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC)

3-12 years old

Evaluates acute and chronic posttraumatic symptoms in children, can be used as a tentative PTSD diagnosis. 90-item questionnaire designed to take 15-20 minutes. 

Available in Spanish 

Access: PAR.  Click here then scroll down to see all purchasing and download options. 

Cost:  $465.00 for full kit, $110.00 for e-manual, $101.00 TSCYC for Hand-Scorable Answer Sheets (pkg/25).

Briere, 2005. 

Traumatic Events Screening Inventory (TESI-C)

6 to 18 years old

Assesses children for potentially traumatic exposures including severe accidents, illness or

disaster, family or community conflict or violence, and sexual molestation in their history. =

Access: The National Center for PTSD and Dartmouth Child Trauma Research. Click here.

Cost: Free

Choi, McCreary, Ford, Rahmanian Koushkaki, Kenan,  Zima, 2019.

UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 Form

7-21 years old

20-30 minute semi-structured interview assessing for trauma history and the full range of DSM-5PTSD diagnostic criteria. Looks for types of trauma and frequency of traumatic events.

Available in English, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese.

Access: Behavioral Health Innovations. Click here, select number of administration to add to shopping cart, then select check out to purchase.

Cost: $4 per administration

Rolon-Arroyo, Oosterhoff, Layne, Steinberg, Pynoos, Kaplow, 2020.

Parent/Caregiver Self-Report

Addiction Severity Index

1 hour semi-structured interview that assesses the impact of addiction on an adult's life. Addresses 7 areas: Medical Status, Employment and Support, Drug Use, Alcohol Use, Legal Status, Family/Social Status, and Psychiatric Status.

Available in Spanish.

Access: PHMC Research and Evaluation Group. Click here, click on "Assessment Instruments", then select applicable assessment to access PDF.

Cost: Free

McLellan, Luborski, Cacciola, Griffith, McGrahan, O’Brien, 1979.

Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

13 years and older

53-item assessment meant to take a snapshot of symptoms; 8–10 minutes long. Includes 7 subscales; Somatization (SOM), Obsessive-Compulsivity (OBS), Interpersonal Sensitivity (INS), Depression (DEP), Anxiety (ANX), Hostility (HOS), Phobic Anxiety (PHOB), Paranoid Ideation (PAR), and Psychoticism (PSY).

Access: Pearson Assessment. Click here then scroll down to "Choose from our products" to see purchasing options.

Cost: $164.10 for full kit (Manual, 50 Answer Sheets with test items, 50 Profile Forms, and 2 worksheets).

 

Derogatis, 1993.

CAGE

A preliminary set of questions that tests for substance abuse. CAGE stands for "Cut, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye", and translates into the following questions:

1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?

2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?

3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?

4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (eye-opener)?

Click here to see how to score.

WARNING: CAGE may not catch adults in the beginning stages of substance abuse/ early intervention. Clinicians should proceed with other assessments before making a formal diagnosis.

Ewing, 1984.

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)

12 years and older

A 5 minute, 28-item retrospective survey assessing for a history of childhood abuse and neglect. Contains five scales: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Physical Neglect and Emotional Neglect.

Access: Pearson Assessment. Click here then scroll down to see purchasing options.

Cost: $231.80 for full kit (manual & 25 forms), $93.60 for Ready Score Answer Documents (pkg/25)

Bernstein, Fink, 1998.

Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)

30-item questionnaire that assesses for 20 PTSD symptoms corresponding to the DSM-5. Looks at onset and duration of symptoms, subjective distress, impact of symptoms on social and occupational function, and more. Three versions available: past week, past month, and worst month (lifetime).

Access: National Center for PTSD. Click here then fill out a brief form to receive the form.

Cost: Free

Blake, Weathers, Nagy, Kaloupek, Charney, & Keane, 1995.

Developmental Trauma Disorder Structured Interview for Parent/Caregiver

0-18 years old

Assesses early life traumatization and attachment disruption. Uses 5 criteria for children: interpersonal trauma, affective/physiological dysregulation, cognitive/behavioral dysregulation, and self/relational dysregulation.

Access: The Foundation Trust. Click here, click on Category #2, then select applicable PDF.

Cost: Free

Ford, Spinazzola, The Developmental Trauma Disorder Work Group, 2023.

Dissociative Experiences Scale II

A 28-item virtual assessment that screens for dissociative coping mechanisms. Contains 3 subscales: Amnesia Factor, Depersonalization/Derealization Factor, and Absorption Factor.

Access: Traumadissociation.com. Click here to access the online survey.

Cost: Free

Bernstein-Carlson, Putnam, 1993.

Life Events Checklist (LEC)

Assesses for 16 potentially traumatic events that may have occurred over someone’s lifetime. Not used for scoring, only for identifying events. 

Access: National Center for PTSD.  Click here, scroll down to “To Obtain Scale”, then click on any of the PDF links to download the form. 

Cost: Free

 

Gray, Litz, Hsu, Lombardo, 2004. 

Life Stressor Checklist-Revised

Measures traumatic experiences by covering 30 life events Focuses on traumatic events that women encounter (ex. abortion) but can be used for men.

Access: National Center for PTSD. Click here then scroll down to "Obtain Scale", and click on the blue highlighted link to access the PDF.

Cost: Free

Wolfe, Kimerling, Brown, Chrestman, Levin, 2004.

Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

Assesses for sleep quality in the past month and how sleep quality has affected other areas in a adult's life.

Access:Click here, scroll to "Assessments for Adults", click on accordion for "Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)", then click on the first URL to access the PDF.

Cost: Free

Buysse, Reynolds, Monk, Berman, Kupfer, 1989.

Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS)

24-item survey that assesses PTSD symptom severity in the past month. Includes 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms and questions on how PTSD symptoms have interfered with an adult's life.

Access: Contact Dr. Edna B. Foa, at foa@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

 

Cost: Unknown

Foa, McLean, Zang, Zhong, Powers, Kauffman, Knowles, 2016.

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

20-item survey that covers 20 PTSD symptoms in the DSM-5. Can make diagnoses and monitors symptoms during and after treatment.

Access: National Center for PTSD. Click here, scroll down to "Obtain Scale" and select applicable PCL-5 document to download.

Cost: Free

 

Weathers, Litz, Keane, Palmieri, Marx, Schnurr, 2013.

Trauma Symptom Inventory-2 (TSI-2)

136-item questionnaire assessing for DSM-5 definitions of trauma and other stressful experiences. Contains 12 scales: Anxiety & Intrusive Experiences, Defensive Avoidance, Dissociation, Insecure Attachment, Impaired Self-Reference, Depression, Suicidality, Sexual Disturbance, Tension Reduction Behavior, Anger, and Somatic Preoccupation

Item Booklets and Answer Sheets available in Spanish.

Access: PAR. Click here then scroll down to see all purchasing options.

Cost: $373.00 for full kit, $91 for item booklets (pkg/10), $111.00 for Hand-Scoreable Answer Sheets (pkg/25)

Briere, 2011.

Parent/Caregiver Report for Children

Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)

1½-5 years old and 6-18 years old

Used to assess behavior/ emotional problems in children. Contains following symptoms scales: Anxious/Depressed, Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, and Aggressive Behavior.

Access: ASEBA. Click here for the 1½-5 year old version. Click here for the 6-18 year old version.

Cost: $40 for pkg of 50 forms (both versions)

Achenbach, Edelbrock, 1991.

Child Dissociative Checklist

6-15 years old

20-item questionnaire asking parents for any dissociative symptoms over the past 12 months that their child has exhibited.

Access: Click here for the informal version.

Cost: Free

Putnam, Helmers, Horowitz, Trickett, 1993.

Juvenile Inventory For Functioning (JIFF)

7 years and older

Self- administered computerized interview that parents of children referred to juvenile justice, child welfare and school counseling can use. Survey covers 10 areas of functioning: At School/ At Your Job, At Home, Family Life, Your Friends, Your Neighborhood, Your Feelings, Dealing With Bad Feelings, Alcohol & Drugs, Thinking, and Your Health.

Access: Functional Assessment Systems (FAS). Click here for the instrument overview; contact customerservice@mhs.com for pricing details and to purchase software.

Cost: Paid, fixed yearly maintenance fee and a nominal fee for each assessment used; exact cost unknown.

Hodges, 2007.

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

2-17 years old

25-items assessing a child's emotions and behaviors on 5 subscales: Emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationships problem, and prosocial behavior. Takes 5-10 minutes to complete.

Available in 80+ languages.

Access: Youth In Mind. Click here to see all languages, click on the American English version if applicable, then select desired age range (2-4, 4-10, and 11-17) under single-sided versions for download.

Cost: Free

Bourdon, Goodman, Rae, Simpson, Koretz, 2005.

Clinician Observation for Families

APGAR

A brief 5 question tool that measures how a family uses their resources in the face of challenges/ obstacles. There are 5 dimensions: Adaptability, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve.

Access: Click here for the informal version.

Cost: Free

Smilkstein, 1978.

California Inventory for Family Assessment (CIFA)

A set of questionnaires that assessed for levels of enmeshment and cohesion in families (intrusiveness vs. closeness-caregiving). Looks at separate relationships within a family and not just the whole family dynamic.

Access: California Inventory for Family Assessment. Click here to access the main page, click on the https://google.drive link to access the manual; within the manual, scroll down to Appendix A on Page 59, fill out Appendix B on page 61 with your credential information, then email the form to Paul Werner at pauldwerner2000@yahoo.com.

Cost: Free

Werner, Green, 1996.

Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES IV)

6 scales, 7 items each, that assesses communication and satisfaction in a family. 2 balanced scales (Cohesion, Balanced) and 4 unbalanced scales (Disengaged, Enmeshed, Rigid, Chaotic).

Access: Contact Life Innovations, Inc. at Phone #: 1-800-331-1661 or 1-651-635-0511; E-mail: cs@facesiv.com

Cost: $95, discount $75 for dissertation students

Olson, Gorall, Tiesel, 2007.

Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST)

Assesses strengths and needs of the entire family overall, each caregiver, and each child.

Access: The John Praed Foundation. Click here, then under "Fast Downloads" on the right hand side, click on "Standard FAST Forms" to download the PDF.

Cost: Free

Lyons, 2005.

Family Assessment Device (FAD)

12 years and older

60-item questionnaire that assesses one inpidual of the the family for their perceptions about the organization / structure of the family; takes 15-20 minutes. 6 subscales: General Family Functioning, Communication, Affective Responsiveness, Problem Solving, Behavior Control, Affective Involvement, and Roles.

Access: Click here for the informal version, scroll down to the blue hyperlink "FAD Questionnaire" and select to download PDF.

Cost: Free.

Epstein, Baldwin, Bishop, 1983.

Family Assessment of Needs & Strengths – Trauma Version (FANS-Trauma)

79-item assessment used to measure which family subsystems have identified areas of strengths, concerns, or needs. Can be used retrospectively or prospectively for treating families.
Access: Click here for the informal manual and instrument. For webinars explaining the applications of FANS-Trauma, click here, scroll down and click on the blue rectangle labeled "view on the learning center", choose applicable webinar, and login/ create a free account on the NCTSN.
Cost: Free
University of Maryland, 2010.

Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES)

30-item questionnaire that assesses one individual in a family to see their perspectives on the family's coping strategies; 10-15 minutes. Based on Family Resiliency model with two components: how a family internally copes with problems (individuals) and how a family externally copes with problems (environment).

Available in Afrikaans, English, French, Hebrew, Korean, Lithuanian, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Xhosa.

Access: mccubbinresilience.org. Click here, scroll down to "The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES)", select applicable language to download PDF, then scroll to the end of the PDF to view the survey questions.

Cost: Free

McCubbin, Olson, Larsen, 1991.

Family Empowerment Scale

34-item survey that assesses the strengths/ types of empowerment that parents of emotionally disabled children have. 2 dimensions: empowerment within systems (ex. community) and expressions of empowerment (ex. attitudes).

Access: Portland State University. Click here to access the PDF directly

Cost: Free

Koren, DeChillo, Friesen, 1993.

Family Environment Scale

11 years and older

90-item questionnaire that assesses one individual of a family for the Real (Form R), Ideal (Form I), and Expected (Form E) perceptions of their family. 3 dimensions; Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Conflict.

Translations available; contact Mind Garden, Inc. for more info.

Access: Mind Garden, Inc. Click here then scroll down to see purchasing options.

Cost: $50 for manual, $137.50 for license to administer (pkg/50)

Moos, Moos, 1994.

Additional Resources

Appropriated Racial Oppression Scale

Caregiver Self-Report

A 7 point Likert scale testing for internalized racism in POC. Contains 5 dimensions: negative stereotypes, patterns of thinking that maintain status quo, beauty standards, devaluing one’s own race, and emotional reactions. 

Access: Contact Dr. Rebecca Rangel Campón, rebecca.campon@shu.edu.

Campón, Carter, 2015.

Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale (GRMS)

Caregiver Self-Report

Intersectional scale assessing for frequency and severity of 32 gendered racial microaggression items for Black women. Factors include:  Assumptions of Beauty and Sexual Objectification, Silenced and Marginalized, Strong Black Woman Stereotype, and Angry Black Woman Stereotype.

Access: Contact: Dr. Jioni A. Lewis, jalewis@utk.edu.

Lewis, Neville, 2015.

Historical Intergenerational Trauma Transmission Questionnaire (HITT-Q)

Caregiver Self-Report

Assesses 2 generations, family (parents) and offspring (children), for self-reported vulnerability and resilience, offspring’s historical moral injury, and current levels of insidious trauma for offspring in society.

Access: Contact: Dr. Vera Békés, vera.bekes@yu.edu 

Békés, Starrs, 2024. 

Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale (TSDS)

Caregiver Self-Report

21-item survey assessing for anxiety-related trauma symptoms based on past experiences of discrimination. Components include fear in social situations, feelings of isolation, uncontrollable worrying, somatic experiences of stress, and more.

Access: Click here for the informal version.

Cost: Free

Williams, Printz, DeLapp, 2018.