Scale Description

The International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) is a brief and clearly formulated self-report measure designed to assess the core features of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD).

The questionnaire is consistent with the organizational principles of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and focuses on a limited but central set of symptoms associated with post-traumatic psychological responses.

The ITQ addresses two primary constructs: PTSD symptoms and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO). This structure is intended to support the assessment of trauma-related symptoms while maintaining clinical utility and applicability across different populations and research contexts.

Objective

The primary objective of the International Trauma Questionnaire is to assess the core features associated with PTSD and Disturbances in Self-Organization (DSO).

The instrument was designed to focus on a concise set of central symptoms in order to maximize its clinical usefulness and facilitate its international application.

Through standardized assessment, the ITQ can provide researchers and professionals with information regarding post-traumatic symptomatology and the different dimensions associated with PTSD and CPTSD.

Item Scoring

According to the original document, different forms of the instrument are reported, including a 22-item extended version and a 12-item short form.

Items are answered using a five-point Likert scale ranging from 0 to 4:

0 = Not at all
1 = A little
2 = Moderately
3 = Quite a bit
4 = Extremely

Respondents are asked to indicate the extent to which each core symptom has bothered them during the past month, while considering their most traumatic experience.

Higher item scores indicate a greater reported level of disturbance associated with the corresponding symptom.

Statistical Analysis

Data obtained from the ITQ can be analyzed by calculating scores for the relevant dimensions of the questionnaire and presenting descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages.

Internal consistency can be examined using appropriate reliability measures, particularly Cronbach’s alpha (α).

Depending on the objectives of the study, researchers may also examine associations between ITQ scores and other psychological, demographic, or research variables.

The original document additionally refers to the calculation of an overall score by summing individual item scores and indicates that the optimized ITQ performed comparably across clinical and community groups.

Validity and Reliability

The psychometric evaluation of the ITQ includes examination of its internal reliability.

According to the information provided in the original document, internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (α). Alpha coefficients were reported as greater than 0.77 for the PTSD and DSO subcategories, with the exception of avoidance items, for which the coefficient was somewhat lower (α = 0.67).

The document also reports satisfactory reliability for PTSD and DSO subcategories, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients greater than 0.79, citing Cloitre et al. (2018).

These psychometric indicators support the use of the instrument for systematically assessing the trauma-related constructs represented within the questionnaire.

Applications

The ITQ can be used in clinical and research contexts concerned with the psychological consequences of traumatic experiences.

Its concise and structured format facilitates the systematic collection of information regarding symptoms associated with PTSD and CPTSD and allows researchers to examine post-traumatic symptom patterns across different populations.

The questionnaire may also be incorporated into studies examining relationships between trauma-related symptoms and other psychological, social, or demographic variables.

Interpretation of Results

Higher scores indicate greater reported disturbance associated with the corresponding trauma-related symptoms.

Interpretation should consider the different constructs assessed by the questionnaire, particularly PTSD symptoms and Disturbances in Self-Organization, as well as the specific scoring procedures of the version being administered.

ITQ scores should be interpreted within the context and purpose of the assessment rather than relying solely on an overall numerical score.

References

Authors: Cloitre, M., Shevlin, M., Brewin, C. R., Bisson, J. I., Roberts, N. P., Maercker, A., Karatzias, T., & Hyland, P.