Childhood Trust Events Survey
The Childhood Trust Events Survey is a self- or parent-report screening survey to assess a child’s exposure to traumatic events. Some items were derived from the Traumatic Events Screening Inventory for Children (TESI-C1) and the UCLA PTSD Index. The CTES also includes all the items identified as Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) in extensive research by Fellitti and colleagues in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ACE items address 1) whether the child has experienced personal abuse (recurrent physical abuse, recurrent emotional abuse, and sexual abuse) and 2) whether the child has lived in a household with any of the following: an alcoholic or drug user; a person who was in prison; someone who was chronically depressed, mentally ill, or suicidal; or a mother who was treated violently; or whether a child has experienced complete and lengthy separation from a parent, such as a permanent foster placement or the death of a parent.
The following items from the survey are identified as ACEs:
Physical abuse:
14) Has someone in your home ever been physically violent toward you, such as whipping, kicking, or hitting hard enough to leave marks?
Emotional abuse:
5) Have you ever had a parent swear at you, insult you, put you down, or say hurtful things such as “You are no good,” “You will be sent away because you are bad,” or “I wish you were never born”?
Sexual abuse:
(Answering yes to 1 or both of these questions is counted as one ACE)
24) Has someone ever touched your private sexual body parts when you did not want them to?
25) Has someone ever made you touch his or her private sexual body parts?
Alcoholic or drug user in home:
(Answering yes to 1 or both of these questions is counted as 1 ACE)
8) Have you ever had a time in your life when you did not have the care you needed, such as not having enough to eat, being left in charge of your younger brothers or sisters for long periods of time, or being left with a grownup who used drugs?
10) Have you ever had someone living in your home who abused alcohol or used street drugs?
Family member in prison:
7) Have you ever had a family member who was put in jail or prison or taken away by the police?
Mentally ill caregiver:
(Answering yes to 1 or both of these questions is counted as 1 ACE)
11) Have you ever had someone in your home try to hurt or kill himself/herself, such as cutting himself/herself or taking too many pills or drugs?
12) Have you ever had a family member who was depressed or mentally ill for a long time? Domestic violence: (Answering yes to 1 or both of these questions is counted as 1 ACE)
16) Have you ever seen or heard family members act like they were going to kill or hurt each other badly, even if they didn’t actually do it?
17) Have you ever seen or heard a family member being hit, punched, kicked very hard, or killed?
Loss/separated from caregiver:
(Answering yes to 1 or both of these questions is counted as 1 ACE)
6) Were you ever completely separated from your parent(s) for a long time, such as going to a foster home, your parent living far apart from you, or never seeing your parent again?
13) Have you ever had a family member or someone else very close to you die unexpectedly?
- Childhood Trust Events Survey Caregiver and Child Description
- Childhood Trust Events Survey Adolescent Description
- Childhood Trust Events Survey Long Form
- Spanish – Childhood Trust Events Survey Caregiver
- Spanish – Childhood Trust Events Survey Description
- Spanish – Childhood Trust Events Survey Child and Adolescent Form
