Abstract
Numerous inventories designed to assess exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTE) have been developed and published. Superficially, the content of these measures appears to overlap extensively and as a result, researchers and clinicians often mistakenly assume that PTE measures may be used interchangeably. In actuality, there are numerous, substantive differences in wording, domain coverage, and context appropriateness among these measures. Further, these instruments vary tremendously with respect to the extent to which their psychometric properties have been evaluated. Despite these differences, there is presently little guidance in the literature to help researchers and clinicians select a PTE measure appropriate for their particular purposes and populations. The present review examines the psychometric and practical considerations that should inform the selection of such measures and briefly reviews and comments on strengths and weaknesses of prominent PTE measures.