Citation

Xu H, Li M, Cai J, Yuan Y, He L, Liu J, Wang L, Wang W. Child Abuse Negl. 2023; 146: e106529.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106529

PMID

37931543

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment has profound effects on mental health. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) are commonly used retrospective assessment tools for evaluating child maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to conduct a comprehensive comparison of the CTQ-SF and ACE-IQ, encompassing internal consistency, prevalence, and the predictive efficacy of trauma-related outcomes. It also seeks to enhance the scoring method of ACE-IQ based on the established comparability between the two instruments. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 1484 college students from northern China were recruited, assessing demographic characteristics and outcomes related to traumatic experiences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), anxiety, and depression.

METHODS: A contingency correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the degree of agreement between the CTQ-SF and ACE-IQ. Binary logistic regression models were utilized to compare the predictive capabilities of distinct instruments.

RESULTS: CTQ-SF and ACE-IQ instruments display favorable internal consistency and notable correlations across shared categories. However, the predictive relationships between trauma type and adverse outcomes are inconsistent across instruments. The ACE-IQ, encompassing 13 trauma categories, demonstrate a lower AIC and BIC index, indicating a superior model fit for elucidating outcomes.

CONCLUSION: This study introduces a scoring methodology for ACE-IQ, improving the comparability of the two measures and emphasizing the importance of capturing the full range of maltreatment types a child may have experienced. These findings have significant implications for clinical and epidemiological research, providing valuable insights for understanding the impact of child maltreatment.

Language: en

Keywords

Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ); Borderline personality disorder (BPD); Child maltreatment; Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF); Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD); Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)