Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) - Youth Report
Name:
Date: ____
Stressful or scary events happen to many people. Below is a list of stressful and scary events
that sometimes happen. Mark YES if it happened to you. Mark No if it didn’t happen to you.
1. Serious natural disaster like a flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or fire.
Yes
No
2. Serious accident or injury like a car/bike crash, dog bite, or sports injury.
Yes
No
3. Threatened, hit or hurt badly within the family.
Yes
No
4. Threatened, hit or hurt badly in school or the community.
Yes
No
5. Attacked, stabbed, shot at or robbed by threat.
Yes
No
6. Seeing someone in the family threatened, hit or hurt badly.
Yes
No
7. Seeing someone in school or the community threatened, hit or hurt badly.
Yes
No
8. Someone doing sexual things to you or making you do sexual things to them
when you couldn’t say no. Or when you were forced or pressured.
Yes
No
9. On line or in social media, someone asking or pressuring you to do
something sexual. Like take or send pictures.
Yes
No
10. Someone bullying you in person. Saying very mean things that scare
you.
Yes
No
11. Someone bullying you online. Saying very mean things that scare you.
Yes
No
12. Someone close to you dying suddenly or violently.
Yes
No
13. Stressful or scary medical procedure.
Yes
No
14. Being around war.
Yes
No
15. Other stressful or scary event?
Yes
No
Describe:
Turn the page and answer the next questions about all the scary or
stressful events that happened to you.
Terms of Use
Developed by Prof. Lutz Goldbeck (Ph.D.) & Prof. Lucy Berliner (Ph.D.). The CATS Consortium consists of Prof. Lucy Berliner
(Ph.D.), Cedric Sachser (Ph.D.), Elisa Pfeiffer (Ph.D.), Prof. Tine Jensen (Ph.D.), Prof. Elizabeth Risch (Ph.D.), Prof. Rita
Rosner (Ph.D.), Prof. Lutz Goldbeck (Ph.D.). Corresponding Author: Cedric Sachser, Ph.D., [email protected].
The Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) questionnaire is a brief, freely accessible screening instrument based on
the DSM-5 criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There are no copyright or licensing fees associated with the
assessment.
Reference
Sachser, C., Berliner, L., Holt, T., Jensen, T. K., Jungbluth, N., Risch, E., Rosner, R., & Goldbeck, L. (2017). International
development and psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). Journal of Affective
Disorders, 210, 189–195.
Mark 0, 1, 2 or 3 for how often the following things have bothered you in the last two
weeks:
0 Never / 1 Once in a while / 2 Half the time / 3 Almost always
1. Upsetting thoughts or pictures about what happened that pop into your head.
0
1
2
3
2. Bad dreams reminding you of what happened.
0
1
2
3
3. Feeling as if what happened is happening all over again.
0
1
2
3
4. Feeling very upset when you are reminded of what happened.
0
1
2
3
5. Strong feelings in your body when you are reminded of what happened (sweating,
heart beating fast, upset stomach).
0
1
2
3
6. Trying not to think about or talk about what happened. Or to not have feelings
about it.
0
1
2
3
7. Staying away from people, places, things, or situations that remind you of what
happened.
0
1
2
3
8. Not being able to remember part of what happened.
0
1
2
3
9. Negative thoughts about yourself or others. Thoughts like I won’t have a good life,
no one can be trusted, the whole world is unsafe.
0
1
2
3
10. Blaming yourself for what happened, or blaming someone else when it isn’t their
fault.
0
1
2
3
11. Bad feelings (afraid, angry, guilty, ashamed) a lot of the time.
0
1
2
3
12. Not wanting to do things you used to do.
0
1
2
3
13. Not feeling close to people.
0
1
2
3
14. Not being able to have good or happy feelings.
0
1
2
3
15. Feeling mad. Having fits of anger and taking it out on others.
0
1
2
3
16. Doing unsafe things.
0
1
2
3
17. Being overly careful or on guard (checking to see who is around you).
0
1
2
3
18. Being jumpy.
0
1
2
3
19. Problems paying attention.
0
1
2
3
20. Trouble falling or staying asleep.
0
1
2
3
CATS 7-17 Years Score <15
CATS 7-17 Years Score 15-20
CATS 7-17 Years Score 21+
Normal. Not clinically elevated.
Moderate trauma-related distress.
Probable PTSD.
Please mark “YES” or “NO” if the problems you marked interfered with:
1. Getting along with others
Yes
No
4. Family relationships
Yes
No
2. Hobbies/Fun
Yes
No
5. General happiness
Yes
No
3. School or work
Yes
No
