Development and Validation of the Functional Posttraumatic Cognitions Questionnaire (FPTCQ) in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Accidental Trauma

Objective: Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder highlight posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs) as a crucial mechanism of trauma adjustment. So far, only dysfunctional PTCs have been investigated in detail. Research on functional PTCs is scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing and validating a self-report measure called Functional Posttraumatic Cognitions Questionnaire (FPTCQ) in children and adolescents. Method: The questionnaire was administered to 114 children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 years who had experienced an acute accidental potentially traumatic event, such as a road traffic accident or a burn injury, and as a result received medical treatment. In addition to classical item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, reliability and construct validity of the FPTCQ were investigated. Results: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure of the FPTCQ. The final 11-item questionnaire displayed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .78), irrespective of age. Functional PTCs were inversely related to dysfunctional PTCs, r = -.44, p < .001, posttraumatic stress symptoms, r = -.35, p < .001, depression symptoms, r = -.22, p < .05, and anxiety symptoms, r = -.43, p < .001, thus supporting construct validity. Conclusions: The FPTCQ is a reliable and valid measure for standardized assessment of functional PTCs among children and adolescents.