Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form for Psychiatric Outpatients

OBJECTIVE: The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is perhaps the most widely used and well-studied retrospective measure of childhood abuse or neglect. This study tested the initial reliability and validity of a Korean translation of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-K) among non-psychotic psychiatric outpatients. METHODS: The CTQ-K was administered to a total of 163 non-psychotic psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated training hospital. Internal consistency, four-week test-retest reliability, and validity were calculated. A portion of the participants (n=65) also completed the Trauma Assessment Questionnaire (TAQ), the Impact of Events Scale-Revised, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon. RESULTS: Four-week test-retest reliability was high (r=0.87) and internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha=0.88). Each type of childhood trauma was significantly correlated with the corresponding subscale of the TAQ, thus confirming its concurrent validity. In addition, the CTQ-K total score was positively related to post-traumatic symptoms and pathological dissociation, demonstrating the convergent validity of the scale. The CTQ-K was also negatively correlated with the competence and safety subscale of the TAQ, confirming discriminant validity. Additionally, we confirmed the factorial validity by identifying a five-factor structure that explained 64% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the CTQ-K is a measure of psychometric soundness that can be used to assess childhood abuse or neglect in Korean patients. It also supports the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale.

Depressive Symptoms in Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Depressive symptoms are often exhibited by individuals with anxiety disorders. Comorbidity with depressive disorder is associated with more severe symptoms and poorer outcomes in the course of illness. In this study we investigated the symptomatic and sociodemographic correlates of depressive symptoms in anxiety disorders and compared them with those in major depressive disorder. METHODS: At a psychiatric ward of a university-affiliated hospital, 192 outpatients with anxiety disorders and 119 with major depressive disorder (MDD) were recruited for a consecutive sample. They completed a questionnaire that included Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: Compared to those with depressive disorders, patients with anxiety disorders showed significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms. However, the difference was confined to the negative attitude sub-scale of BDI, not somatic symptoms and performance difficulty. Multiple regression analysis showed factors that a Global Severity Index of SCL-90-R, state anxiety, lower education, and older age predicted depression in anxiety disorders. In contrast, the Global Severity Index and trait anxiety were extracted for MDD. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study indicated that depressive symptoms in anxiety disorders can be differentiated from those of MDD so as to lower level of the core cognitive symptoms of depression. Further studies may benefit from looking at both depressive symptoms and co-morbid depressive diagnosis.