Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children in an At-Risk Sample of Youth

Objective: The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) is a widely used assessment tool in both community and clinical samples. Although the reliability and validity of the TSCC has been studied extensively, its factor structure has been understudied. Particularly, researchers have conceptualized the TSCC as a summative total scale score without evidence of its psychometric properties. Method: The current study examines the factor structure of the TSCC conceptualized as a total score using second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a large sample of juvenile justice involved youth (N = 2,268). Results: Results indicate that a total score does not fit the data. However, an alternative model that included 2 factors that grouped together (a) anxiety, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress with (b) anger and depression fit the data well. Conclusions: Although the findings do not support the use of the TSCC as a total score, a 2-factor solution provides a more parsimonious conceptualization of the TSCC. Implications for both social work practice and research are discussed.