Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Cognition Inventory within a Northern Ireland adolescent sample

ObjectivesThis study sought to investigate the psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI; Foa etal., 1999, Psychol. Assess., 11, 303) among a cohort of older adolescents and to determine the relationship between post-traumatic cognitions and a variety of psychological outcomes including depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. MethodsThe PTCI was investigated among a large sample (N=785) of Northern Irish adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis and composite reliability analysis were conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the scale. ResultsThe familiar three-factor solution of negative cognitions of self, negative cognitions of the world and others, and self-blame was supported; however, it was necessary to remove eight items from the original 33-item scale. The three-factor structure was subsequently demonstrated to be factorially invariant across gender and to possess satisfactory internal reliability. The three PTCI factors were found to correlate with depression, anxiety, stress, and three dimensions of loneliness. ConclusionThese results provide the first piece of evidence that older adolescents cognitively respond to trauma in a similar manner to adults, that the PTCI is factorially invariant between genders, and that trauma cognitions are correlated with feelings of loneliness. The contextual dependent nature of the structure of the PTCI factors is discussed in relation to future research efforts.