Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post‐traumatic stress disorder

Foa, Edna B.; Riggs, David S.; Dancu, Constance V.; Rothbaum, Barbara O.

doi:10.1002/jts.2490060405

Cited by 2,114 publications

(866 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The PTSD diagnosis was established using the Dutch version of the CAPS-IV (Blake et al, 1995; Dutch version: Hovens, Luinge, & Van Minnen, 2005). To measure the severity of PTSD symptoms by self-report, we used the Dutch PTSD Symptom Scale Self Report (PSS-SR) (Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993; Mol et al, 2005) and the Dutch Impact of Event Scale (IES) (Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979; Van Der Ploeg, Mooren, Kleber, Van Der Velden, & Brom, 2004). Patients’ exposure to traumatic events was identified using a self-report version of the modified Interview for Traumatic Events in Childhood (ITEC) (Lobbestael, Arntz, Harkema-Schouten, & Bernstein, 2009).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-reported PTSD symptoms were measured with the PSS-SR (Foa et al, 1993; Dutch translation: Mol et al, 2005). The PSS-SR is a 17-item questionnaire used to assess the frequency of the PTSD symptoms using a four-point Likert scale (0–3, total range 0–51) covering three domains: re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The PSS-SR is a 17-item questionnaire used to assess the frequency of the PTSD symptoms using a four-point Likert scale (0–3, total range 0–51) covering three domains: re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal. It has a satisfactory internal consistency ( α > .90) and a high test–retest reliability ( r > .70) (Foa et al, 1993). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of an intensive treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for severe post-traumatic stress disorder

Woudenberg¹,

Voorendonk²,

Bongaerts³

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: There is room for improvement regarding the treatment of severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Intensifying treatment to increase patient retention is a promising development. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an intensive trauma-focused treatment programme over 8 days for individuals suffering from severe PTSD. Method: Treatment was provided for 347 PTSD patients (70% women; mean age = 38.32 years, SD = 11.69) and consisted of daily sessions of prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (16 sessions in total), physical activity, and psycho-education. All participants had experienced multiple traumas, including sexual abuse (74.4%), and suffered from multiple comorbidities (e.g. 87.5% had a mood disorder). Suicidal ideation was frequent (73.9%). PTSD symptom severity was assessed by both clinician-rated [Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)] and self-report [PTSD Symptom Scale Self Report (PSS-SR) and Impact of Event Scale (IES)] inventories. For a subsample (n = 109), follow-up data at 6 months were available. Results: A significant decline in symptom severity was found (e.g. CAPS intention-to-treat sample Cohen’s d = 1.64). At post-treatment, 82.9% showed a clinically meaningful response and 54.9% a loss of diagnosis. Dropout was very low (2.3%). Conclusions: Intensive trauma-focused treatment programmes including prolonged exposure, EMDR therapy, and physical activity can be effective for patients suffering from severe PTSD and are associated with low dropout rates.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of an intensive treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for severe post-traumatic stress disorder

Woudenberg¹,

Voorendonk²,

Bongaerts³

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…Interrater reliability for a PTSD diagnosis was k = 0.92, and r = 0.99 for the total severity score in our study (based on 10% randomly selected interviews). Self-reported PTSD severity was monitored using the Dutch translation of the PTSD Symptom Scale, Self-Report (PSS-SR; Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993), a 17-item questionnaire to rate the frequency of PTSD symptoms. The internal consistency has been shown to be high (Cronbach’s α = .91; Foa et al, 1993) and the Dutch version has also shown to have good internal consistency (Mol et al, 2005).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Potential predictors of treatment outcome were measured at baseline or early treatment and all variables were treated as continuous variables, unless otherwise indicated. Potential predictors were assigned to one of three domains: (1) the demographic domain: age, educational level (primary, secondary, vocational, higher vocational education, or university), and living condition (as a categorical variable: living alone vs. together with partner or other people like children or parents); (2) the clinical domain: PTSD symptom severity as assessed using the PSS-SR (Foa et al, 1993), depressive symptom severity as measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), dissociative symptom severity as assessed using the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES; Bernstein & Putnam, 1986), current severity of borderline personality disorder manifestations as measured with the Borderline Personality Disorder symptom checklist (BPD-47 symptom checklist; Arntz et al, 2003), and psychoactive medication use (as a categorical variable: yes, no); and (3) the fear habituation domain: fear activation during the first exposure session, calculated as the highest given Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) rating (SUD peak) on a 0–10 point scale (no anxiety to maximum anxiety), within-session fear habituation during the first session, calculated as SUD peak minus the latest SUD rating at the end of the first exposure session, and between-session fear habituation, calculated as the difference between SUD peak scores from the first and second imaginal exposure session (Rauch, Foa, Furr, & Filip, 2004; van Minnen & Hagenaars, 2002). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intensive prolonged exposure therapy for chronic PTSD patients following multiple trauma and multiple treatment attempts

Hendriks

Kleine

Broekman³

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: Suboptimal response and high dropout rates leave room for improvement of trauma-focused treatment (TFT) effectiveness in ameliorating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Objective: To explore the effectiveness and safety of intensive prolonged exposure (iPE) targeting chronic PTSD patients with a likely diagnosis of ICD-11 Complex PTSD following multiple interpersonal trauma and a history of multiple treatment attempts. Method: Participants (N = 73) received iPE in 12 × 90-minute sessions over four days (intensive phase) followed by four weekly 90-minute booster prolonged exposure (PE) sessions (booster phase). The primary outcomes, clinician-rated severity of PTSD symptoms, and diagnostic status (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale; CAPS-IV) were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at three and six months. Treatment response trajectories were identified and predictors of these trajectories explored. Results: Mixed model repeated measures analysis of CAPS-IV scores showed a baseline-to-posttreatment decrease in PTSD symptom severity (p < .001) that persisted during the three- and six-month follow-ups with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > 1.2); 71% of the participants responded. None of the participants dropped out during the intensive phase and only 5% during the booster phase. Adverse events were extremely low and only a minority showed symptom exacerbation. Cluster analysis demonstrated four treatment response trajectories: Fast responders (13%), Slow responders (26%), Partial responders (32%), and Non-responders (29%). Living condition and between-session fear habituation were found to predict outcome. Participants living alone were more likely to belong to the Partial responders than to the Non-responders cluster, and participants showing more between-session fear habituation were more likely to belong to the Fast responders than to the Non-responders cluster. Conclusions: The results of this open study suggest that iPE can be effective in PTSD patients with multiple interpersonal trauma and after multiple previous treatment attempts. In addition, in this chronic PTSD population iPE was safe.

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Grief in Children and Adolescents Bereaved by Sudden Parental Death

Melhem

Porta

Shamseddeen

et al. 2011

Arch Gen Psychiatry

180

177

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Context There have been major advances in our understanding of the phenomenology and course of grief in adults. However, little is known about the course of grief in children. Objective We report on course and impact of children’s grief reactions following parental sudden death on subsequent psychiatric and functional status. Design Longitudinal study of bereaved children and families with yearly comprehensive assessments up to three years after parental death. Setting Bereaved children and their surviving parents recruited through the coroners’ records and advertisement. Participants 182 parentally bereaved children between 7 and 18 years of age whose parent died from suicide, accident, or sudden natural deaths. Main Exposure Sudden parental death. Main Outcome Measures Grief, functional impairment, incident depression. Results There were 3 distinct trajectories of grief reactions with a group, consisting of 10.4% of the sample, with increased grief reactions that showed no change 33 months post-death. Youths with prolonged grief reactions had higher rates of previous personal history of depression. Prolonged grief made unique contribution to increased levels of functional impairment even after controlling for clinical characteristics antecedent and following the death. Conversely, prolonged grief, both in youths and the surviving caregiver, predisposed to an increased hazard of incident depression. Another group (30%) showed increased grief reactions 9 months following the death, which gradually decreased over time. Despite this, grief reactions in this group were also associated with functional impairment and increased risk of incident depression. Conclusions Grief reactions abate over time for most children bereaved by sudden parental death; however, a subset show increased or prolonged grief reactions, which in turn increases the risk for functional impairment and depression. Research on interventions designed to relieve the burden of grief in bereaved children are needed. Such efforts should also assess and address grief reactions in the surviving parent.

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Reliability and validity of a brief instrument for assessing post‐traumatic stress disorder

Abstract: This study examines the psychometric properties of two versions of the PTSD Syrnpton Scale (PSS

Cited by 2,114 publications

References 12 publications

Effectiveness of an intensive treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for severe post-traumatic stress disorder

Effectiveness of an intensive treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for severe post-traumatic stress disorder

Intensive prolonged exposure therapy for chronic PTSD patients following multiple trauma and multiple treatment attempts

Grief in Children and Adolescents Bereaved by Sudden Parental Death

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