Italian International Trauma Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents: Factor structure, measurement invariance, and validity in community and high‐risk samples

Abstract Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is recognized as a distinct diagnosis in the ICD‐11 . The International Trauma Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ITQ‐CA) assesses CPTSD symptoms in youth aged 7–17 years; however, no validated Italian version is currently available. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Italian ITQ‐CA in 488 children and adolescents from community ( n = 432) and high‐risk residential‐care ( n = 56) samples. Confirmatory factor analyses compared competing models, and measurement invariance was tested across sex assigned at birth, age, and risk status. The correlated second‐order posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disturbances in self‐organization (DSO) model was the best‐fitting admissible hierarchical solution, CFI = .990, TLI = .986, RMSEA = .045. Reliability was good, ω = .866–.900; ωH = .800–.823; OHC = .947–.952. Approximate or partial measurement invariance supported latent‐mean comparisons: Girls and adolescents had higher PTSD and DSO means than boys and younger participants, Δ M = .554–.879, whereas risk groups did not differ, Δ M = −.055–.006. Concurrent and convergent associations were moderate to large, and regression models identified partially differentiated external correlates, R 2 = .563–.618. The findings support the factorial validity and reliability of Italian ITQ‐CA symptom scores and their use in Italian youth, and future research should examine functional impairment, longitudinal validity, and clinical replication.