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Validation of a trauma questionnaire in veteran women

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Abstract

The Trauma Questionnaire (TQ) assesses a woman’s history of childhood and adult sexual trauma, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. The TQ is used widely at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, but its validity has not been thoroughly examined. In a prospective study of 127 women, we found the TQ to have good to excellent agreement with a semistructured clinician interview and good sensitivity and specificity. The TQ can be used as a valid alternative to the clinician interview in the initial elicitation of trauma history among women veterans in the primary care setting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Received from the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Lauren M. McIntyre PhD, MStat, Marian I. Butterfield MD, MPH, Kavita Nanda MD, MHS, Karen M. Stechuchak MS & Lori A. Bastian MD, MPH

  2. Women Veteran Comprehensive Health Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Marian I. Butterfield MD, MPH, Kavita Nanda MD, MHS, Andrea W. McChesney MSN, RN, Cedar Koons MSW & Lori A. Bastian MD, MPH

  3. the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Lauren M. McIntyre PhD, MStat

  4. the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Marian I. Butterfield MD, MPH & Cedar Koons MSW

  5. the Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

    Kavita Nanda MD, MHS & Lori A. Bastian MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Lauren M. McIntyre PhD, MStat
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  2. Marian I. Butterfield MD, MPH
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  3. Kavita Nanda MD, MHS
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  4. Kelly Parsey MD, MHS
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  5. Karen M. Stechuchak MS
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  6. Andrea W. McChesney MSN, RN
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  7. Cedar Koons MSW
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  8. Lori A. Bastian MD, MPH
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Additional information

Dr. Parsey was a Women’s Health fellow at the Durham VAMC during the development of this project; she is currently Associate Medical Director, Endocrinology and Fertility Control, Berlex Laboratories, Montville, NJ.

Dr. Nanda was also a Women’s Health Fellow at the Durham VAMC during the development of this project; she is currently Associate Medical Director, Clinical Trials, Family Health International, Durham, N.C.

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McIntyre, L.M., Butterfield, M.I., Nanda, K. et al. Validation of a trauma questionnaire in veteran women. J GEN INTERN MED 14, 186–189 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1999.00311.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.1999.00311.x

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