The Subjective Impact and Timing of Adversity Scale: A Feasibility Study Using Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Data

Abstract

This study assessed the feasibility of a multi-domain measure of the occurrence, impact, and timing of childhood/adolescent psychological adversity exposure, the Subjective Impact and Timing of Adversity Scale (SITA). Participants were from among those who had previously participated in two waves of data collection when aged approximately 14 and 21 years. Internal consistency estimates at both online and interview stages were acceptable for all SITA domains (with the exception of parental loss). SITA domain scores correlated meaningfully with scores on other scales and psychological measures, supporting convergent validity. Those with lifetime psychiatric diagnoses scored significantly higher on SITA domains than those not meeting diagnostic threshold. There was evidence of the importance of both the subjective impact and timing of adversity with regard to psychiatric diagnoses. The study demonstrates the viability of the SITA; however, further studies are required to substantiate these findings in larger samples.