Abstract

This study examines: (a) rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of unaccompanied immigrant children in the United States, and (b) psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale. Caseworkers subcontracted by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services originally collected data in 2018 from unaccompanied children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who received post-release services in nine states (n = 149). The overall rate of PTSD in the sample was 8.1%; differences by country of origin were observed. Results from an exploratory factor analysis indicate a three-factor model is the best fit for the data. Internal reliability for the total CPSS scale was excellent (α = .93). Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

摘要

这项研究检查：（a）在美国无人陪伴的移民儿童样本中的创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的发生率，以及（b）儿童PTSD症状量表的心理计量学特征。由路德会移民和难民服务分包的个案工作者最初于2018年从萨尔瓦多，危地马拉和洪都拉斯的无人陪伴儿童中收集数据，这些儿童在九个州接受过释放服务（n  = 149）。样本中PTSD的总比率为8.1％；观察到了原产国之间的差异。探索性因素分析的结果表明，三因素模型最适合数据。总体CPSS量表的内部可靠性极佳（α = .93）。还讨论了对实践和未来研究的影响。