CATS (self, 7–17)

Validated

Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen – Self-report, 7–17 years (CATS)

7 – 17 yearsSelf~15 min40 questions

Stressful or scary events happen to many people. Below is a list of stressful and scary events that sometimes happen. Mark YES if it happened to you. Mark No if it didn't happen to you. If any event is marked, answer the symptom questions in relation to the event that is bothering you most now.

Report details · optional

Patient initials / IDCompleted byDate

Shown on the report and stored with the screening record. Use initials or a code, not full names.

Answers, results and report details are recorded by OpenScreener to monitor and improve the service. Privacy

About this screener — evidence, source, alternatives

A brief, freely available screen for trauma exposure and DSM-5 post-traumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents. The young person marks which of 15 stressful or scary events have happened, then rates 20 symptoms over the last two weeks and 5 areas of functioning. Can also be read aloud as an interview for younger children or weaker readers.

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 self-report form, CATS 7-17_1.2. Item wording is reproduced as printed on the official form (event 7 is printed without a final 'or beat up'). Official form: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/kijupsych/1-Dokumente/Frageboegen/CATS/English/CATS_self_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 ↗