The Trauma History Questionnaire: A Tool for Investigating
Traumatic Events Associated with Complex Trauma
Kylene Krause, M.S., Syreeta Scott, B.A., Alissa C. Huth-Bocks, Ph.D.,
Erin Gallagher, M.S., and Sarah Ahlfs-Dunn, B.A.
Eastern Michigan University
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
Table 1. Correlation Matrix for Study Variables
AIM: To explore possible subscales of the THQ-R that capture specific experiences of trauma and to investigate
the influence of childhood trauma on symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and hostility in adulthood.
PTSD
THQ-R
Total
.443***
Crime General
Emotional
Physical
Figure 1. Sample Correlations between THQ-R and Trauma Symptoms
6
Sexual
.228** .254**
.295***
.470***
.266**
Depression .368***
.266** .188*
.249**
.373***
.236**
Anxiety
.378***
.192*
.175*
.247**
.371***
.288**
Hostility
.334***
.179*
.265**
.151
.357***
.189*
THQ-R Subscales
The Trauma History Questionnaire - Revised (THQ-R; Green, 1996) is an instrument that assesses various
characteristics of experienced traumatic events, including the number of traumas, ages at which they occur
and the impact felt by the individual; these factors are not always evaluated when examining trauma, but are
important for assessing complex trauma. However, the THQ-R is not widely used and a well-developed scoring
system is not yet developed.
METHOD
PARTICIPANTS:
A community sample of pregnant women (N = 120) were recruited from public locations, programs, and
agencies primarily serving low-income families. As part of a larger investigation, women participated in a 2 1/2
hour interview during their last trimester of pregnancy and received $25.00 compensation. During this
interview, which often took place in the women’s homes, participants completed a semi-structured interview
about their feelings about pregnancy and motherhood and verbally completed numerous questionnaires about
their history, current and past relationships, psychosocial experiences, and general health.
 Age: Mean = 26 (Range = 18 – 42, SD = 5.7)
 Race/ Ethnicity: 47% = African American, 36% Caucasian, 18% = Other Ethnic Groups
 Education: 20% = High School Diploma/ GED or less, 44% = Some College/Trade School, 36% =
College Degree
 Monthly Income: Median = $1,550.
 Family Status: 64% = Single Parents
30% = First Time Mothers
MEASURES:
1 – Trauma History. The Trauma History Questionnaire - Revised (THQ-R; Green, 1996) is a 28-item selfreport measure designed to assess history of exposure to traumatic events including crime, sexual assault/
abuse, war, tragic death, and disaster. Respondents endorse the presence, number, and first and last time of
events, as well as the maximum amount of fear, helplessness, and horror experiences from 0 (none) to 5
(extreme).
2 – Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress. The PTSD Checklist (PCL; Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska & Keane,
1993) is a widely used, 17-item questionnaire designed to assess specific symptoms of PTSD. Respondents
indicate how much they have been bothered by various problems in the past month using a Likert-type scale
from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). There are 4 subscales: intrusion, avoidance, dysphoria and hyperarousal. It
has excellent internal consistency in war veterans, victims of motor vehicle accidents, and sexual assault
survivors, with coefficient alphas ranging from .94 to .97. Alpha in the present study was .87.
3 - Depression. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox, Holden, & Sagovsky, 1987) is
another widely used measure consisting of 10 items designed to assess for prenatal and post-partum
depressive symptoms in the past week. Item responses (0 – 3) are summed; a score of 10 or greater
indicates possible depression (range = 0 – 30). Previous studies have reported alphas around .87 and splithalf reliability of .88. Alpha in the present study was .84.
4 – Anxiety and Hostility. The Brief Symptom Inventory. (BSI; Derogatis, 1993) is a 53-item self-report
designed to assess general psychological symptoms. The 11 anxiety and hostility items were chosen for the
present study. Respondents indicate how much they have been bothered or distressed by various problems in
the past week using a Likert-type scale from 0 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). The BSI has high internal
consistency, with alphas ranging from .70 to .89 for inpatients and outpatients. Convergent validity has also
been established. Alphas in the present study were .77 and .80 respectively.
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Trauma symptoms
Table 3. Predicting PTSD symptoms
using a Multiple Regression
Table 2. Proposed Subscale changes from THQ to THQ-R
Question
4 Crime Items
8 General Disaster Items
Dangerous Chemicals
Original Subscales
(Original THQ)
Crime
General Disaster
General Disaster
Proposed Subscales
(THQ-R)
Crime
General Disaster
----
General Disaster
General Disaster
-------
Personal Serious injury
Close person murdered or killed by drunk
driver
Terrorist act
Direct experience of war events
Immediate family death
Personal Serious illness
News of close injury, illness or unexpected
death
Emotionally abuse by family
Divorce of parents
Attacked with weapon
Attached without weapon
Family physical enough to cause injury
Serious Neglect
Incarcerated or held against will
------General Disaster
General Disaster
General Disaster
General Disaster
General Disaster
Personal Emotional
Personal Emotional
Personal Emotional
------Physical or Sexual
Physical or Sexual
Physical or Sexual
-------
Personal Emotional
Personal Emotional
Personal Physical
Personal Physical
Personal Physical
Personal Physical
Personal Physical
Unwanted sexual intercourse
Unwanted sexual touching
Other unwanted sexual contact
Family unwanted sexual contact
Physical or Sexual
Physical or Sexual
Physical or Sexual
----
Sexual Trauma
Sexual Trauma
Sexual Trauma
Sexual Trauma
Trauma Experienced
Variable
First Block
THQ-R Adult Trauma
Adjusted R2
F Value
Second Block THQ-R Adult Trauma
THQ-R Childhood Trauma
Adjusted R2
F Value
PTSD Symptoms
β
-.018
-.008
.039
.078
.417***
.151
11.56***
*** = p < .001
Table 1 shows the correlations between various trauma
symptoms (PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and Hostility) and
proposed THQ-R subscales (Crime, General, Personal
Emotional, Personal Physical, and Sexual). Figure 1 displays
best fit lines between subscales and trauma symptoms. Due to
space constraints and similarity of figures of various types of
trauma symptoms, only one sample figure is included here. Table
2 indicates proposed subscale changes from the THQ to the
THQ-R. Four crime items and 8 General Disaster items remain
the same. Some General Disaster items were removed, some
added, and some moved to Personal Emotional (new subscale).
Some new items were added to the new Personal Emotional
subscale. The old Physical or Sexual subscale was divided into
two separate subscales, Personal Physical and Sexual. Some
new items were added to each of these. New subscales were
developed conceptually based on previous literature. Table 3
shows the results of a multiple regression which indicate the
significance of childhood experiences of trauma on adult trauma
symptoms.
DISCUSSION
These results indicate that the proposed subscales of the THQ-R were significantly correlated with PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety and
hostility with the exception of personal emotional trauma and hostility. In addition, childhood experiences of trauma were better predictors of current
mental health symptoms than more recent, adult traumatic experiences. Further investigation of these subscales would be valuable in
understanding the effects of various types of traumas at various points across the lifespan. These results have important implications for future
investigations of trauma across the lifespan, as well as those working with survivors traumatic events.