Abstract

Trauma-experienced individuals often feel shame, a self-conscious emotion linked to a negative overall evaluation of the self, during and after a traumatic event as they re-evaluate and interpret it. Shame is a significant predictor of psychological distress and PTSD symptoms. This study aimed to establish the reliability and validity of the Trauma-Related Shame Inventory (TRSI) after adapting it for the Korean population. To achieve this, we analyzed the psychometric properties of the K-TRSI through parallel and Rasch analyses, as well as convergent and discriminant validity tests. Participants included 390 adults who had experienced a traumatic event, and data were collected via an online survey. The results indicated that the one-factor model of the K-TRSI was adequate, the response categories of the items were appropriate, and there were no gender-specific discriminant items. Furthermore, correlation analyses with posttraumatic stress symptoms, trauma-related guilt, and self-compassion demonstrated that the K-TRSI is a valid tool for measuring trauma-related shame. The potential applications of the K-TRSI in various clinical and research settings were discussed, along with the study’s limitations and directions for future research.