The validation of the trauma symptom checklist-40 (TSC-40) in a sample of inpatients

This study examined the construct validity of the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40; Elliot & Briere, 1992) in a sample of 130 female psychiatric inpatients. Consistent with other findings, the TSC-40 displayed criterion-related validity in relation to childhood sexual abuse. Survivors of sexual abuse obtained significantly higher scores than those without such a history on the overall TSC-40 and on each of the six subscales, except the Depression subscale. Convergent validity of three subscales was demonstrated, and divergent validity on the total TSC-40 and each of its subscales was established. Further, among a range of abuse-effects measures, the Sexual Abuse Trauma Index (SATI) subscale was the most powerful predictor of sexual abuse. The SATI and Dissociation subscales were the subscales most sensitive to the specific features of the sexual abuse.