Introduction
The Trauma-Related Shame Inventory asks about how a traumatic experience affects views of oneself and expectations of how others see you. Its 24 statements explore shame in relation to an event and its aftermath.
Shame often concerns the self—feeling diminished or unacceptable—whereas guilt can focus on a particular action or responsibility. These experiences can overlap. Separating what you believe about yourself from what you fear others believe can make a difficult feeling more specific.
PC-PTSD-5 covers a wider set of post-traumatic symptoms; the grief inventory focuses on bereavement. This questionnaire is most relevant when shame itself is the experience you want to describe. The social setting and available support add context to the responses.
Instructions
Individuals who experience traumas often have many different types of reactions. Below are a number of statements that describe thoughts and feelings that people sometimes have about themselves.
Please read each statement carefully, and decide how much it applies to you. Check the option that best describes how much the statement is true for you over the past week.
Scoring and result metrics
The result page reports a local screening score for this questionnaire. Use the score range, any subscale scores, and the interpretation band together rather than treating one number as a diagnosis.
- Score range
- 0-72
- Items scored
- 24
- Result indicators
- Total score / Interpretation band when available
Score interpretation bands
- 0-17Low range
Your score falls in the lower range for this screening tool.
- 18-35Mild range
Your score falls in a mild or lower-middle range. Consider the result alongside your current context.
- 36-53Moderate range
Your score falls in a moderate range. If the symptoms are distressing, consider speaking with a qualified professional.
- 54-72Higher range
Your score falls in a higher range for this screening tool. This is not a diagnosis, but it may be worth discussing with a clinician.
Interpretation bands summarize screening thresholds from the questionnaire source material. Higher scores usually indicate more of the measured concern unless the tool notes a different scoring rule.
Tool information
- Version
- 24 questions
- Administration
- Self-report
- Intended audience
- Adults with trauma histories reviewing internal, external, and bodily shame responses, with support available if the content becomes distressing
Sources
- T Øktedalen, KA Hagtvet, A Hoffart, TF Langkaas, M Smucker. The Trauma Related Shame Inventory: Measuring Trauma-Related Shame Among Patients with PTSD. J Psychopathol Behav Assess (36):4, 600-615. (2014)
- C Capone, SB Norman, M Haller, B Davis, MT Shea, K Browne, AJ Lang, PP Schnurr, S Golshan, N Afari, J Pittman, CB Allard, L Westendorf. Trauma Informed Guilt Reduction (TrIGR) therapy for guilt, shame, and moral injury resulting from trauma: Rationale, design, and methodology of a two-site randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials (101):106251 (2021)
Related tests
Explore related screening tools in the same topic area.
Primary Care PTSD Screen (DSM-5) (PC-PTSD-5)
PC-PTSD-5 begins with a question about exposure to a traumatic event, followed by five questions about recent responses.
Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II)
DES-II asks how often experiences such as absorption, memory gaps, detachment from oneself and a sense of unreality occur.
Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG)
The Inventory of Complicated Grief asks about experiences after someone has died, including preoccupation, painful memories, disbelief and difficulty reconnecting with ordinary activities.