There are complex ethical issues entailed in attempting solely for research purposes precise ascertainment from children themselves of contemporaneous trauma, particularly maltreatment within the family, because of putting families at risk of protective service involvement that might not have otherwise occurred had they not consented to participate in research. Contemporaneous detection of childhood trauma can be elusive, with many cases undetected by family members, protective services, teachers or other professionals ( Jacobs, Bruhn, & Graf, 2008), or actively concealed by the child or family. The differences may be accounted for by disparities in domains assessed.Ĭhildhood trauma and maltreatment are pervasive in the United States, with over 6 million children reported to child protective services in recent years ( Gateway, 2014) and with actual incidence most likely much higher.
This study suggests that the CTQ serves as a reasonable retrospective assessment of prospectively ascertained childhood trauma exposure. Using Pearson Correlation coefficients, VEX-R total scores significantly correlated with the sum of CTQ scales ( r = 0.33, p < 0.01), and three (physical, emotional and sexual abuse) of the five CTQ subscales, showing a moderate linear association. Participants also completed the CTQ, a 28-item, 5 scale screening measure, during a young-adult follow-up (ages 18–23). Participants completed the Violence Exposure Scale for Children-Revised (VEX-R), a 21-item self-report measure of experience of/witness to interpersonal violence, administered face to face at 9, 10, and 11 years using cartoon pictures, and via audio-computer assisted self-interview at 12, 14, and 16 years. Participants were 127 (93% African American, 47% male) urban young adults in a longitudinal birth cohort study examining effects of prenatal substance exposure and environmental factors on development. We evaluated the relationships between young adults’ responses to the CTQ and their prospective self-reports of exposure to violence in childhood and adolescence. However, the CTQ has not been compared to prospective measures of childhood violence exposure, whether at home or in the community. Retrospective recall-based measures administered to adults, like the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), are commonly used to determine experiences of childhood trauma in the home.
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