Modification of CAPS‐1 for diagnosis of PTSD in Afghan refugees

Abstract

A DSM-III-R based instrument for the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-1), was modified to accommodate cultural differences and translated into the Afghan languages Pushto and Farsi (Dari) and administered to 30 Afghan refugees living in the United States. The modified CAPS-1 was found to be practical and reliable. Inter-item correlations were calculated on the frequency and intensity scores for the 17 cardinal symptoms and the eight associated features items of the modified CAPS-1. The four reexperiencing items demonstrated significant independence from the avoidance and arousal symptom clusters. However, the avoidance and arousal symptom clusters were not found to be independent cardinal components of PTSD in our participants. The CAPS-1 criteria for diagnosis of PTSD were met by 50% of the subjects evaluated.

Psychological Distress in Afghan Refugees: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review

“…Similarly, an earlier Netherlands-based study found that these same variables were risk factors for the disproportionately high depressive (57 %) and PTSD diagnosis (35 %) rates as measured by the CIDI among a sample of 51 Afghan refugees [92]. High PTSD diagnosis rates were also observed in a (CAPS-1) validation study inclusive of 30 participants in the SF Bay Area [97]. Investigators observed that 50 % of respondents met CAPS-1 criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.…”

“…Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25/HTQ [103], Beck Depression Inventory/BDI [104]); Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale/CES-D [105]; Kessler-10 [106]; the Maudsley Addiction Profile [107]; the Stressful Life Event Questionnaire/SLE [108]; and the Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress Questionnaire/RATS [109]. Three studies used clinical diagnostic tools [92, 97–99] including: Clinician Administered PTSD Scale-1/CAPS-1 [110], Composite International Diagnostic Interview/CIDI [111] for depression and PTSD, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders/SCID [112] for depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias.…”

Anxiety, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress in Iranian Survivors of Chemical Warfare

“…15 Studies also show high internal consistency for the CAPS-1 Farsi version. 16 Furthermore, the HAM-A is a wellrecognized instrument in Iran and has been shown to be valid and reliable. 17 Using CAPS, diagnosis of PTSD was coded as absent, partial, or full for both current (ie, last month) and lifetime PTSD.…”

Correlates and predictors of psychological distress among Afghan refugees in San Diego County

“…Cross-sectional studies conducted with Afghans have shown elevated levels of depressive and posttraumatic symptomatology associated with war traumas and older age (Malekzai et al, 1996), Pashtun ethnicity (due to more exposure to violence) (Mghir, Freed, Raskin, & Katon, 1995); female gender, social support loss (Gerritsen et al, 2006; Ichikawa et al, 2006) as well as identity loss and discrimination (Stempel, 2009); poor language skills, lower education, unemployment (Lipson, Omidian, & Paul, 1995; Gernaat et al, 2002); problematic alcohol use and acculturative stress (Haasen et al, 2008); and social disadvantages linked to asylum status and residency challenges observed among newly resettled Afghan youth (Bronstein, Montgomery, & Dobrowlski, 2012) as well as adults (Steel et al, 2011). Risk factors for psychological distress show consistency with other refugee groups as consolidated in seminal systematic reviews (Lindert, von Ehrenstein, Priebe, Mielck, & Brähler, 2009; Porter & Haslam, 2005).…”