Peer-reviewed article
Feasibility and reliability of a trauma-informed measure of child well-being.
Rayisa Shelashska, Lillyan Taylor Shelley, Erin Becker Razuri, David Cross, Danica Kalling Knight ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The study tested a new measure of child social-emotional well-being, called the T-CWS, that is based on developmental trauma and relationships. Twenty clinicians were trained to use it and each scored 15 prerecorded videos, giving 300 observations. The measure showed moderate to substantial internal consistency and could tell cases apart. Clinicians rated it as feasible, appropriate and acceptable for clinical practice. The authors say it shows promise but needs more testing.
Key points
- 20 clinicians scored 15 prerecorded videos, for 300 observations in total.
- Internal consistency was moderate to substantial.
- The T-CWS reliably differentiated stable individual differences between cases.
- It could detect systemic variation across videos.
- Clinicians rated it as feasible, appropriate and acceptable for clinical practice.
Limitations
The abstract reports only reliability and feasibility, not whether the measure is valid or whether it improves outcomes for children. The abstract is partly garbled, so the sample of videos and children, and the setting, are not described. The authors say further testing is needed.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: (T-CWS), a developmentally informed, relationship-based, and trauma-sensitive measure of child social-emotional well-being. METHOD: . Participants comprised 20 clinicians who were trained to use the T-CWS and then independently scored 15 prerecorded videos, for a total of 300 observations. Participants also rated the T-CWS for feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability. RESULTS: Using generalizability theory to account for the variance attributable to participants, repeated scale items, and repeated videos viewed, analyses indicated moderate to substantial internal consistency. The T-CWS reliably differentiated stable individual differences between cases and was able to detect systemic variation in videos. Further, participants rated the T-CWS as a feasible, appropriate, and acceptable instrument for use in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: The T-CWS shows promise as a new measure for assessing child well-being through the lens of developmental trauma. While further testing is needed, the T-CWS could help providers better evaluate the needs and treatment goals of trauma survivors. Further, the T-CWS could prove useful for assessing individual outcomes associated with trauma-informed care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).