Revisiting the Structural Validity of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) among Brazilian Adolescents: Insights from a Factor and Network Analysis.

Child maltreatment is a serious global health issue, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) is widely used to assess child abuse. However, its psychometric properties among adolescents have yet to be thoroughly explored. This study examined the factorial and network structure of the CTQ-SF among 721 Brazilian adolescents aged 15-19. Initial confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) assessed the original 25-item, five-factor solution, followed by exploratory models that revealed mis specifications. Refinement required removing items from the physical neglect factor, resulting in a 20-item, four-factor model covering emotional neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. This solution demonstrated factorial item pertinence, unambiguity and reliability, and factor-based convergent and discriminant validity. The network analysis further highlighted strong links between emotional and physical abuse. The findings suggest that while the original model did not fully fit this population, the revised 20-item version offers improved and promising psychometric properties for assessing childhood trauma in adolescents.