The TEC is a validated measure that should integrate mental health assessment. We want to assess the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version, and examine the prevalence of traumatic experiences. Of the 248 participants (77.8% women, mean age = 31.12 ± 13.70), 36 had mood disorders (MD), 38 had eating disorders (ED), 29 had pain disorder (PD), 54 were substance and alcohol dependent (SAD), 20 were violence victims (VV), and 71 were non-patients. All completed the TEC, 55.2% completed the Dissociation Experiences Scale (DES), and 23.8% the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20).

Twelve per cent reported at least one traumatic experience to a maximum of 29 traumatic experiences (19.8%). The mean score of TEC was 9.37 ± 10.48, with the higher scores in SAD (27.22 ± 6.31), followed by VV (8.65 ± 3.82), MD (6.69 ± 3.12), ED (5.37 ± 4.83), PD (3.07 ± 1.46), and non-patients (2.06 ± 2.57). Reliability was high (Cronbach α = 0.93) in total sample, ranging from 0.94 (ED) to 0.44 (PD). In ED group, TEC significantly correlated with DES and SDQ-20. On the other groups (MD, SAD, VV), the correlations were not significant. An optimal cutoff point of 5.5 traumatic presences distinguished between clinical and non-clinical patients (AUC = 0.87, p < 0.001).

Portuguese TEC is a promising reliable and valid screen and allows for measurement of traumatic experiences in clinical and non-clinical samples. However, the criterion validity should be established with other measures and involve larger clinical samples.