The Milwaukee Inventory for Styles of Trichotillomania -Child Version (MIST -C): The assessment of pulling styles in children and adolescents

This dissertation examined the development of the Milwaukee Inventory for Styles of Trichotillomania-Child Version (MIST-C). The MIST-C is a self-report scale designed to assess styles of hair pulling in children and adolescents diagnosed with trichotillomania (TTM). This dissertation was divided into two separate, yet related, studies. Study I recruited 336 children and their parents using internet-sampling procedures to complete the MIST-C as part of a larger survey examining the functional impact of childhood TTM. Results of an exploratory factor analysis on MIST-C items revealed a two-factor solution. Factors 1 ("focused" pulling scale) and 2 ("automatic" pulling scale) consisted of 21 and 3 items, respectively, with both scales demonstrating good internal consistency and construct and discriminant validity. Study 2 examined the psychometric properties of the MIST-C employing a clinic-referred sample of 10 children between the ages of 9 and 17 years with TTM. Results provided preliminary support for the scale's reliability (temporal stability, internal consistency) and validity (construct and discriminant validity). The development of the MIST-C provides researchers with a reliable and valid assessment of "automatic" and "focused" pulling, and provides a means by which to examine the developmental trajectory and treatment implications of these pulling styles.