Assessing violence exposure and trauma symptoms in young children: a critical review of measures.

The acknowledgment of the existence of age-specific posttraumatic stress symptoms in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers points to the urgent need for standardized assessment tools for violence exposure and trauma symptoms in young children. The authors review the assessment measures currently available for the evaluation of potentially traumatic events (PTE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children less than 6 years old. Each measure is described and its strengths and weaknesses discussed in a developmental context, while also considering the specific difficulties inherent to the assessment of young children. Recommendations for further test development are given.