by John Briere, PhD
Purpose: Evaluate acute and chronic posttraumatic symptomatology
Age Range: 18 through to 88 years
Admin: Individual or Group
Time: 20 Minutes
The TSI-2 is designed to evaluate posttraumatic stress and other psychological sequelae of traumatic events. This broadband measure evaluates acute and chronic symptomatology, including the effects of sexual and physical assault, intimate partner violence, combat, torture, motor vehicle accidents, mass casualty events, medical trauma, traumatic losses, and childhood abuse or neglect.
The TSI-2 consists of 136 items and assesses a wide range of potentially complex symptomatology, ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation, and somatization to insecure attachment styles, impaired self-capacities, and dysfunctional behaviors.
New in this Edition
Introduced in this edition are three new scales (Insecure Attachment, Somatic Preoccupations, and Suicidality) and two new subscales (Hyperarousal and Other-Directedness). The four TSI-2 summary factors are either new to this version or have been reconfigured based on newly added or modified scales.
New items were introduced to the TSI-2 validity scales in order to assess a client’s tendencies to deny symptoms that are commonly endorsed, to overendorse unusual or bizarre symptoms, or to respond in an inconsistent or random manner. The Atypical Response validity scale was redesigned to assess not only overreporting in general, but also potential misrepresentation of PTSD.
TSI-2-A
The alternate 126-item version of the form does not contain any sexual symptom items—the Sexual Disturbance scale (i.e., the Sexual Concerns and Dysfunctional Sexual Behavior subscales) and the sexual symptom items associated with the Externalization factor have been removed.
- Eight critical items help you identify issues or behaviors that potentially represent severe psychological disturbance, danger to the respondent, or danger to others.
- Reliable change scores are new to this edition of the measure and allow you to track progress and monitor change over time.
- The validation sample consisted of five nonoverlapping clinical groups: combat veterans, individuals with borderline personality disorder, sexual abuse victims, victims of domestic violence, and incarcerated women. A sample of subjects simulating PTSD was used to test malingering.
