CATS-C (3–6)
ValidatedChild and Adolescent Trauma Screen – Caregiver report, 3–6 years (CATS-C)
3 – 6 yearsParent~15 min36 questions
Stressful or scary events happen to many children. Below is a list of stressful and scary events that sometimes happen. Mark YES if it happened to the child to the best of your knowledge. Mark No if it didn't happen to the child. If any event is marked, answer the symptom questions in relation to the event that is bothering the child most now.
Report details · optional
Shown on the report and stored with the screening record. Use initials or a code, not full names.
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About this screener — evidence, source, alternatives
The preschool caregiver version of the CATS. It follows the DSM-5 PTSD criteria for children aged 6 and younger: 16 symptom items, including trauma re-enactment in play and social withdrawal, rated over the last two weeks, plus 5 areas of functioning.
Evidence · validated
In trauma-exposed samples from the US, Germany and Norway, the 20-item symptom score showed good to excellent internal consistency (α = .88–.94), medium-to-strong correlations with depression and anxiety, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the four DSM-5 clusters (Sachser et al., 2017). The cut-offs (≥ 21 for ages 7–17, ≥ 16 for ages 3–6) are preliminary; external validation against a clinical interview was pending at publication.
Free alternative to
- UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 · Behavioral Health Innovations
Licensed child PTSD measure; the CATS is the free alternative covering the same DSM-5 symptoms. - Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children / Young Children (TSCC / TSCYC) · PAR
Paid child trauma-symptom checklists.
Source & licence
Sachser C, Berliner L, Holt T, Jensen TK, Jungbluth N, Risch E, Rosner R, Goldbeck L. International development and psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). J Affect Disord. 2017;210:189–195. Form: Berliner & Goldbeck, 2014 (version 1.2).
Licence: Free — the authors' group describes the CATS as a freely accessible screening instrument; ISTSS lists it with no copyright or licensing fees
English caregiver form for ages 3–6, CATS-C 3-6_Version1.2. The authors' DSM-5 scoring sheet covers the 20-item versions, so no cluster algorithm is applied here; only the total and the published cut-off are reported. Official form: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/kijupsych/1-Dokumente/Frageboegen/CATS/English/CATS_Caregegiver_3-6_english_1.2._03_2015.pdf. Translations other than those posted by the authors should be requested from the corresponding author (Cedric Sachser).
Official source ↗