Citation

de Haan A, Haag AC, Degen E, Landolt MA. Psychol. Trauma 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/tra0000979

PMID

33166167

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder highlight posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs) as a crucial mechanism of trauma adjustment. So far, only dysfunctional PTCs have been investigated in detail. Research on functional PTCs is scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating a self-report measure called Functional Posttraumatic Cognitions Questionnaire (FPTCQ) in children and adolescents.

METHOD: The questionnaire was administered to 114 children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 years who had experienced an acute accidental potentially traumatic event, such as a road traffic accident or a burn injury, and as a result received medical treatment. In addition to classical item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, reliability and construct validity of the FPTCQ were investigated.

RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure of the FPTCQ. The final 11-item questionnaire displayed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's α =.78), irrespective of age. Functional PTCs were inversely related to dysfunctional PTCs, r = -.44, p <.001, posttraumatic stress symptoms, r = -.35, p <.001, depression symptoms, r = -.22, p <.05, and anxiety symptoms, r = -.43, p <.001, thus supporting construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS: The FPTCQ is a reliable and valid measure for standardized assessment of functional PTCs among children and adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en