Abstract

This article describes the development and validation of a new measure of trauma-related thoughts and beliefs, the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI), whose items were derived from clinical observations and current theories of post-trauma psychopathology. The PTCI was administered to 601 volunteers, 392 of whom had experienced a traumatic event and 170 of whom had moderate to severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Principal-components analysis yielded 3 factors: Negative Cognitions About Self. Negative Cognitions About the World, and Self-Blame. The 3 factors showed excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliability; correlated moderately to strongly with measures of PTSD severity, depression, and general anxiety: and discriminated well between traumatized individuals with and without PTSD. The PTCI compared favorably with other measures of trauma-related cognitions, especially in its superior ability to discriminate between traumatized individuals with and without PTSD.

Keywords

PsychologyPsychometricsTest validityCognitionClinical psychologyDevelopmental psychologyPsychiatry

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Publication Info

Year
1999
Type
article
Volume
11
Issue
3
Pages
303-314
Citations
1617
Access
Closed

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Edna B. Foa, Anke Ehlers, David M. Clark et al. (1999). The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI): Development and validation.. Psychological Assessment , 11 (3) , 303-314. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.11.3.303

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DOI
10.1037/1040-3590.11.3.303