Cumulative Trauma Scale-Short Form: Examination of psychometric properties

The aim of this study is to examine the reliability and the validity of the Turkish form of the Cumulative Trauma Scale-Short Form (CTS-S). The sample consisted of 384 participants who were over 18 years old and had experienced at least one traumatic event. The scale package included the Turkish version of the scale and the scales to be used to measure the concurrent and discriminant validity of CTS-S. Correlation analyses were conducted for testing the validity of the adapted scale. In order to measure the reliability, inter-rater reliability and internal reliability analyses were conducted. Four subscales were identified by inter-rater reliability analysis and the agreement between the raters was found to be statistically significant (κ = [.33, .77]) for the defined subscales. Cronbach's alpha value for the scale was .74. Concurrent validity analyses indicated a significant positive relationship between CTS-S and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised and a significant positive relationship between CTS-S and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory while correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship between CTS-S and the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation Scale and the General Self-efficacy Scale. Based on the result of the current study, the Turkish version of the CTS-S seemed to be a reliable and valid measurement tool that can be used in trauma studies in the Turkish culture. It is recommended to use the scale with a single-factor structure and to use a negative evaluation composite score.