Reliability of reports of childhood trauma in bipolar disorder: A test–retest study over 18 months

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the reliability of self-reported trauma histories in a population with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Previous studies in other populations suggest high reliability of trauma histories over time and it was postulated that a similar high reliability would be demonstrated in this population. Thirty-nine patients with a confirmed diagnosis (DSM-IV criteria) were followed-up and re-administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire after 18 months. Cohen's kappa scores and intraclass correlations suggest reasonable test-retest reliability over the 18-month time period of the study for all types of childhood abuse, namely emotional, physical, sexual, and physical abuse and emotional neglect. Intraclass correlations ranged from r = .50 to (sexual abuse) to r = .96 (physical abuse). Cohen's kappas ranged from .44 (sexual abuse) to .76 (physical abuse). Retrospective reports of childhood trauma can be seen as reliable and are in keeping with results found with other mental health populations.

Childhood trauma, dimensions of psychopathology and the clinical expression of bipolar disorders: A pathway analysis

“…Childhood trauma assessment was retrospective so not exempt from potential uncontrolled recall biases. Nevertheless, a previous study has shown that individuals with severe mental illness are able to reliably report in adulthood on experiences of abuse during childhood (Fisher et al, 2011), while another study demonstrated similar findings specifically in patients with BD (Shannon et al, 2016). Clinical description of BD was also retrospective but recorded using reliable structured clinical interviews.…”

Metacognitive beliefs mediate the effect of emotional abuse on depressive and psychotic symptoms in severe mental disorders

“…2013) and bipolar (Shannon et al . 2016) disorders. It is also important to mention that we had no measure of trauma experiences in adulthood.…”

Childhood maltreatment and the medical morbidity in bipolar disorder: a case–control study

“…Good psychometric properties have been reported for this instrument, for instance there is high concordance between CTQ scores and therapists' ratings of childhood maltreatment (Bernstein et al 2003 ). Moreover, good test–retest reliability has been found using this instrument in a sample of people with bipolar disorder (Shannon et al 2016 ).…”