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Six of one, half a dozen of the other? Examining measurement properties of different potentially traumatic event polyvictimization operationalizations using a multiverse analysis framework

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2024

Austen McGuire Open the ORCID record for Austen McGuire [Opens in a new window] ,
Daniel W. Smith  and
Dean Kilpatrick
Austen McGuire*
Affiliation:
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
Daniel W. Smith
Affiliation:
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
Dean Kilpatrick
Affiliation:
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
*
Corresponding author: Austen McGuire; Email: mcguirau@musc.edu
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Abstract

Numerous differences exist between and within research projects related to assessment and operationalization of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) for youth, especially when measuring polyvictimization. However, few studies have systematically examined how polyvictimization measurement differences influence PTE’s relation to functioning. This study sought to address these knowledge gaps by conducting a secondary data multiverse replication (SDMR) to systematically (re)evaluate PTE polyvictimization measurement approaches. Participants included 3297 adolescents (Mage = 14.63; 50.59% female; 65.15% white) from the National Survey of Adolescents-Replication study who completed a structured interview on PTE exposure and emotional and behavioral health (i.e., posttraumatic stress and major depressive disorder, drug and alcohol use, and delinquency). Results indicated that PTE operationalizations using a count variable tended to demonstrate better model performance and prediction of youth at-risk of emotional and behavioral health challenges, compared to models using a binary (yes/no) PTE operationalization. Differences in model performance and prediction were less distinct between models examining multiple forms of a single type of PTE (e.g., maltreatment, community violence), compared to models examining multiple PTE types. These findings emphasize the importance of using multidimensional approaches to PTE operationalization and the need for more multiverse analyses to improve PTE evidence-based assessment.

Keywords

Depressionmeasurementmultiverse analysispotentially traumatic eventsposttraumatic stress disorder

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Type
Regular Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , August 2025 , pp. 1515 - 1533
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© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

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