The preliminary development and validation of a trauma-related safety-seeking behavior measure for youth: The Child Safety Behavior Scale (CSBS)

Alberici, Alice, Meiser-Stedman, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0262-623X, Claxton, Jade, Smith, Patrick, Ehlers, Anke, Dixon, Clare and McKinnon, Anna (2018) The preliminary development and validation of a trauma-related safety-seeking behavior measure for youth: The Child Safety Behavior Scale (CSBS). Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31 (5). pp. 643-653. ISSN 0894-9867

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Abstract

Safety‐seeking behaviors (SSBs) may be employed after exposure to a traumatic event in an effort to prevent a feared outcome. Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder propose SSBs contribute to maintaining this disorder by preventing disconfirmation of maladaptive beliefs and preserving a sense of current threat. Recent research has found that SSBs impact children's posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and recovery. In this paper, we sought to develop and validate a novel 22‐item Child Safety Behavior Scale (CSBS) in a school‐based sample of 391 pupils (age 12–15 years) who completed a battery of questionnaires as well as 68 youths (age 8–17 years) who were recently exposed to a trauma. Of the sample, 93.1% (N = 426) completed the new questionnaire. The sample was split (n = 213), and we utilized principal components analysis alongside parallel analysis, which revealed that 13 items loaded well onto a two‐factor structure. This structure was superior to a one‐factor model and overall demonstrated a moderately good model of fit across indices, based upon a confirmatory factory analysis with the other half of the sample. The CSBS showed excellent internal consistency, r = .90; good test–retest reliability, r = .64; and good discriminant validity and specificity. In a multiple linear regression, SSBs, negative appraisals, and number of trauma types each accounted for unique variance in a model of PTSS. This study provides initial support for the use of the CSBS in trauma‐exposed youth as a valuable tool for further research, clinical assessment, and targeted intervention.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Mental Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2018 04:45
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 02:14
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/67641
DOI:	10.1002/jts.22332

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