The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) is a 90-item caregiver-report measure of childhood traumatic stress and abuse-related experiences in children, ages three to twelve years old.
Purpose: The objective of this review is to examine the current empirical evidence (n = 22) regarding the psychometric properties of the TSCYC.
Method: A variety of study designs were reviewed for psychometric evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the TSCYC.
Results: The psychometric evidence for the TSCYC indicates it is a reliable scale. However, evidence of validity is moderate and focuses on older children.
Discussion: Clinicians may utilize the TSCYC to support a PTSD diagnosis in children. Further psychometric exploration would strengthen the body of evidence for younger children (ages 3-5) who have had traumatic experiences.
Keywords: TSCYC; Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children; early childhood trauma; psychometrics; traumatic experiences.