SIDES
Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES)
The SIDES is a structured clinical interview designed to assess the psychological consequences of prolonged, repeated, or interpersonal trauma, particularly the complex traumatic stress presentations historically described as DESNOS. It systematically explores several domains that are often insufficiently covered by standard PTSD assessment: emotional and impulse dysregulation, disturbances of attention and consciousness, alterations in self-perception, relational difficulties, somatization, and alterations in belief systems or meaning. In clinical practice, it helps the psychologist clarify a complex trauma profile, objectify the functional impact, and guide case formulation and the treatment plan.
- Number of questions
- 48 questions
- Estimated duration
- 45 minutes
- Language
- English
- Original name
- Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress
- Target audience
- Adolescents, adults
- Authors
- David Pelcovitz, Bessel A. van der Kolk, Susan Roth, Fran S. Mandel, Susan Kaplan, Patricia A. Resick (1997)
- Category
- PTSD
Scoring & interpretation
The interview is scored by the clinician based on the presence, frequency, and intensity of the symptoms explored. Items are grouped into clinical domains and then checked against the SIDES-specific threshold rules to determine whether each domain is clinically significant and whether the overall profile is consistent with a disorder of extreme stress of the DESNOS/complex trauma type. Interpretation should be integrated with the trauma history, the functional impact, and the differential diagnosis.
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