PTSD: National Center for PTSD
Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ)
Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ)
Description
The TSQ is a 10-item symptom screen that was designed for use with survivors of all types of traumatic stress. The TSQ is based on items from the PTSD Symptom Scale - Self Report (PSS-SR; Foa et al., 1993) and has five re-experiencing items and five arousal items.
Respondents are asked to endorse those items that they have experienced at least twice in the past week. Brewin et al. (2002) considered the screen "positive" when at least six items were endorsed. The authors recommended that screening be conducted three to four weeks post-trauma to allow for normal recovery processes to take place. Those screening positive should then be assessed with a structured interview for PTSD.
Instructions
Please consider the following reactions which sometimes occur after a traumatic event. This questionnaire is concerned with your personal reactions to the traumatic event which happened to you. Please indicate (Yes/No) whether or not you have experienced any of the following at least twice in the past week.
Sample Items
- Upsetting thoughts or memories about the event that have come into your mind against your will.
- Bodily reactions (such as fast heartbeat, stomach churning, sweatiness, dizziness) when reminded of the event.
References
Brewin, C. R., Rose, S., Andrews, B., Green, J., Tata, P., McEvedy, C., Turner, S., and Foa, E. B. (2002). Brief screening instrument for post-traumatic stress disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 158-162.
Additional Reviews
Brewin, C. R. (2005). Systematic review of screening instruments for adults at risk of PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18, 53-62.
To Obtain Scale
Chris Brewin, PhD
Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology
University College London
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Email: c.brewin@ucl.ac.uk
Complete measure is included in journal article.
Measure availability: We provide information on a variety of measures assessing trauma and PTSD. These measures are intended for use by qualified mental health professionals and researchers. Measures authored by National Center staff are available as direct downloads or by request. Measures developed outside of the National Center can be requested via contact information available on the information page for the specific measure.
