A Screening Instrument for Trauma-Related Behavior among Young Primary School Students: Development and Validation of the RaPTOSS

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  • Author(s): Hanneke Leeuwestein (ORCID Hanneke Leeuwestein (ORCID 0000-0003-0989-5253); Elisa Kupers (ORCID Elisa Kupers (ORCID 0000-0002-4016-0709); Marieke Boelhouwer (ORCID Marieke Boelhouwer (ORCID 0009-0001-4088-0298); Paul Tondera (ORCID Paul Tondera (ORCID 0009-0004-7716-0165); Marijn van Dijk (ORCID Marijn van Dijk (ORCID 0000-0002-2823-1455)
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    School Mental Health. 2024 16(2):530-549.
  • Publication Date:
    2024
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      20
    • Education Level:
      Elementary Education
    • Subject Terms:
      Screening Tests; Trauma; Student Behavior; Elementary School Students; Test Construction; Test Validity; Psychometrics; Well Being; Risk
    • Accession Number:
      10.1007/s12310-024-09656-8
    • ISSN:
      1866-2625
      1866-2633
    • Abstract:
      This article reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a new teacher observation instrument to systematically assess young primary school students' well-being and detect potential indicators of psychological trauma, the RaPTOSS: "Risk and Protective factors Trauma Observation School Situations." The RaPTOSS is developed specifically for preschool and early primary school teachers, because of the limited abilities their young students have to verbally reflect and report on their well-being and stressful experiences. We examined the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity and criterion validity of the RaPTOSS in a sample of 406 4- to 8-year-old regular education students. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a four-factor structure for the risk items with the following factors: Withdrawn, Dysphoria, Destructive and Inattentive. The protective factor items revealed a four-factor structure closely aligning the theoretical factor structure: Safety and Relations, Self-Image, Everyday Life and Self-Regulation. All factors exhibited good to excellent internal consistency. Correlations between the RaPTOSS and existing measures of psychosocial well-being without a specific focus on trauma-related behavior demonstrated good convergent validity. Criterion validity was supported, as indicated by moderate to large positive correlations between teacher worries about a student and RaPTOSS risk factors, and moderate to large negative correlations between teacher worries and RAPTOSS protective factors. We conclude that the RaPTOSS is a promising measure for trauma-informed teaching and research, although future research is needed to establish its psychometric qualities in specific samples such as children diagnosed with PTSD and refugee children.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Publication Date:
      2024
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1429313