The TSC-40 is a 40-item self-report measure of symptomatic distress in adults arising from childhood or adult traumatic experiences. It measures aspects of posttraumatic stress as well as other symptoms found in some traumatized individuals.
Respondents are asked to rate how often they have experienced each symptom in the last two months using a 4-point frequency rating scale ranging from 0 ("never") to 3 ("often"). In addition to yielding a total score (ranging from 0 to 120), the TSC-40 has six subscales: Anxiety, Depression, Dissociation, Sexual Abuse Trauma Index, Sexual Problems, and Sleep Disturbances. According to the authors, this measure is intended exclusively for research purposes.
How often have you experienced each of the following items in the past two months?
"Feeling isolated from others"
0 = never to 3 = Often
The TSC-33 is an earlier version that does not contain the Sexual Problems and Sleep Disturbances subscales.
Elliot, D. M. & Briere, J. (1992). Sexual abuse trauma among professional women: Validating the Trauma Symptom Checklist - 40 (TSC-40). Child Abuse & Neglect, 16, 391-398.
Briere, J. N., & Runtz, M. G. (1989). The Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-33): early data on a new scale. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 151-163.
Norris, Fran H. & Hamblen, Jessica L. (2004). Standardized self-report measures of civilian trauma and PTSD. In J.P. Wilson, T.M. Keane & T. Martin (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 63-102). New York: Guilford Press. PTSDpubs ID 18638
Measure availability: We provide information on a variety of measures assessing trauma and PTSD. These measures are intended for use by qualified mental health professionals and researchers. Measures authored by National Center staff are available as direct downloads or by request. Measures developed outside of the National Center can be requested via contact information available on the information page for the specific measure.
