Unlike the Trauma Symptom Inventory, which evaluates a range of post-traumatic symptomatology, the DAPS focuses on a particular trauma, and evaluates its characteristics, immediate impact, whether it has resulted in a diagnosis of PTSD or ASD, and whether there are associated problems such as suicidality or substance abuse.

It is a 104-item self-report inventory which includes three PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) and three associated features of PTSD (trauma-specific dissociation, suicidality, and substance abuse), as well as two validity scales to identify under and over reporting of symptoms.