General Information

The Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale is an instrument used to assess the impact of sexual abuse from a child's point of view by measuring PTSD symptoms.

Number of Versions:	2
Version:	Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale - Revised
Author(s):	Vicky Veitch Wolfe, Carole Gentile, Teresa Michienzi, & Louise Sas
Date of Publication:	1991
Material(s) Needed for Test:	Instrument
Manual:	Not Available
Time to Administer:	20-40 minutes
Charge for one form or kit:	No

Purpose and Nature of Test

Construct(s) Measured:	Victimization
Population for which designed:	Age Range: 8 through 16 years old
Method of Administration:	Individual
Source of Information:	Self
Subtests and Scores:	Intrusive Thoughts, Avoidance, Hyperarousal, Sexual Activity, Negative Reactions by Others, Social Support, Self Blame & Guilt, Empowerment, Vulnerability, Dangerous World, Eroticism
Number of Items:	78
Type of Scale:	Likert

Technical Evaluation

Norms: 

Sample Size:	129
Population:	Twp samples of sexually abused children: One from Family and Children's Services and the other taken from a court sample.
Culture/ethnicity:	Caucasian
SES Level:	Not reported by author(s).

Reliability: 

Psychometric information:	Provided for Subscales.
The range of Test-Retest Value:	Not assessed
The range of Inter-rater reliability:	Not assessed
The range of Internal consistency:	0.57 to 0.88

Validity: 

Criterion validity data has not been presented or published in study.

Practical Evaluation

Scoring Procedure:	Manual Scoring
Examiner Qualifications and Training Required:	None
Permission Required to Use Instrument:	Yes
If yes, by whom:	Vicky Veitch Wolfe

Notes

Original Reference(s):	Wolfe, V. V., Gentile, C., Michienzi, T., Sas, L., & Wolfe, D. A. (1991). The Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale: A measure of post-sexual abuse PTSD symtpoms. Behavioral Assessment, 13 (4), 359-383.
Other Reference(s):	Wolfe, V. V., Gentile, C., & Wolfe, D. A. (1989). The impact of sexual abuse on children: A PTSD formulation. Behavior Therapy, 20, 215-228. Crouch, J. L., Smith, D. W., Ezzell, C. E., & Saunders, B. E. (1999). Measuring reactions to sexual trauma among children: Comparing the Children's Impact of Traumatic Events Scale and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Child Maltreatment: Journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 4 (3), 255-263. Wolfe, D. A., Sas, L., & Wekerle, C. (1994). Factors associated with the development of posttraumatic stress disorder among child victims of sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18, 37-50.
Other:	It is recommended that the scale be administered in an inteview format (interviewer reading the questions and marking down the child's answers).

Contact

Name:	Vicky Veitch Wolfe
Organization:	Children's Hospital of Western Ontario Department of Psychiatry
Address:	South Street Hospital 375 South Street P.O. BOX 5375 UWO Location: LHSC-SSHE1-C60A
City:	London
State:	Ontario, Canada
Zip:	N6A 4G5
Phone:	(519) 667-5755
Fax:	(519) 667-6564
E-mail:	Vicki.Wolfe@lhsc.on.ca
Website:	http://www.uwo.ca

Last updated by Violence Institute of New Jersey:  August 2006