Psychometric evaluation of the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children (TSCC) among children affected by HIV/AIDS in China

Abstract

The current study, utilizing the baseline data from a longitudinal assessment of psychosocial needs of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS or living with HIV-infected parents in China, was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children (TSCC) among children affected by HIV/AIDS in China. The psychometric properties assessed in this study include internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and construct validity. The sample in the current study include 296 double orphans, 459 single orphans, and 466 children living with HIV-infected parents in central China where many residents had been infected with HIV through unhygienic blood collection. The results demonstrate adequate reliability and validity of the TSCC among study population. Children who experienced more traumatic events scored significantly higher on all TSCC clinical scales and subscales than those children who experienced less such events. The Chinese version of the TSCC should provide mental health researchers and practitioners with a reliable and valid assessment instrument in studying posttraumatic distress and related psychological symptomology among children affected by HIV/AIDS in China.

Keywords:

• AIDS orphans
• traumatic events
• posttraumatic distress
• HIV/AIDS
• China
• reliability
• validity

Acknowledgements

The study described in this report was supported by NIH Research Grant R01MH76488 by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Nursing Research. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institute of Nursing Research. The authors wish to thank other members of the investigation team including Douglas Barnett, PhD, Danhua Lin, PhD, Yunfei Lv, PhD, Kathryn Meert, MD, and Sylvie Naar-King, PhD. The authors also want to thank Joanne Zwemer for assistance with manuscript preparation.