Development of the Trauma Appraisal Questionnaire

Abstract

This study describes the development and psychometric properties of the Trauma Appraisal Questionnaire (TAQ). Items were generated based on interviews with 72 ethnically diverse community participants exposed to a range of trauma types. From the interviews, more than 600 items that tapped beliefs, emotions, and behaviors were generated for 9 appraisal categories (e.g., fear, betrayal, shame). Based on expert feedback, 108 items were retained for initial testing in a sample of 714 undergraduate volunteers. Using a factor analytic strategy, we arrived at a 6-scale, 54-item solution. The reliability and validity of the new measure were evaluated in community (N = 119) and undergraduate (Ns = 139 and 79) samples. The measure demonstrated excellent reliability (test–retest and internal consistency) and validity (convergent, discriminant, and concurrent).

KEYWORDS:

• appraisal
• cognitions
• posttraumatic distress
• PTSD
• trauma

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant to Anne P. DePrince (1 R03 MH068624–01A1, National Institute of Mental Health). The authors wish to thank Lisa Badanes, Melody Combs, Rheena Pineda, Aimee Reichmann-Decker, Michelle Shanahan, and Pallavi Visvanathan for assistance with interviews; Elisabeth Thompson for assistance with data collection; Amelia E. Chianese and Drs. Jennifer Freyd and Lisa DeMarni Cromer for project assistance; and community agencies for assistance with recruiting.